RU-486 Mifeprex is a pill that can induce an abortion at the beginning of the pregnancy. It can be used in the period of 7-9 weeks of pregnancy after the first day of the last period. It is an alternative method of abortion since it is does not require surgery. This pill produces a halt and the subsequent expulsion of the fetus in the same way that a miscarriage would happen.
The abortive procedure is done when the RU-486 Mifeprex pill is used to stop the extension or further growth of the gestation; together with Misoprostol it is used to induce the ejection of the fetus.
Although this option preserves unwanted pregnancies it is not for everyone and there are certain risks involved in taking this pill. About 2% of all pregnancies can be ectopic (tubal) pregnancies, which are those that occur outside of the uterus.
Taking this abortion pill with this ectopic condition can be highly dangerous, even fatal. This being the case, a surgical intervention would be required. The other significant risk is that 5% of the time non-surgical abortions are not successful. In this case a surgical intervention would be required. If this surgery does not follow, there is an increased risk of complications like intense blood loss, which may need a blood transfusion, or can lead to the continuation of the pregnancy with the possibility of birth defects.
This has been an accepted abortive method since it came out in September 2000. More than 460,000 women have used this drug in the U.S. However, there have been reported complications from the use of this pill.
Five deaths were caused by the use of RU-486 Mifeprex; all of them linked to the infection of a rare bacteria called Clostridiym sordellii.
In November 2004, Danco (manufacturer of Mifeprex) alerted those who prescribed this pill and added a black box warning about the deadly risk that this pill can have. Some of the symptoms of this infection are nausea, vomiting or diarrhea with or without abdominal pain and fever.
There is a lawsuit against the makers of this pill, the Population Council which pushed for the FDA approval and the clinic that sent eighteen year old Holly Paterson home after taking this pill (she did not survive).
The lawsuit is based on the belief that information about these risks was withheld and caused the death of this teenager. They believe that Mifeprex impairs the immune system and therefore puts the patient at expense of this fatal infection. If you believe that you or someone you know has been a victim of this pill it may be your turn to act.