As a matter of fact, most abortion care in the U.S. is safely provided with the help of two medications (also called “abortion pills”): mifepristone and misoprostol. Recent court challenges and ballot measures on abortion care have put the availability of mifepristone at risk (more on that below).
Mifepristone is a hormone-blocking medication used for abortion, miscarriage care, and Cushing disease, a disorder where someone makes too much of the hormone cortisol.
🤓Nerd alert: mifepristone is also a hormone, but unlike progesterone and cortisol which are made inside the body, mifepristone is synthetic or made in a laboratory.
Mifepristone blocks progesterone and cortisol, which are two hormones that the body produces.
Progesterone helps in many processes in the body, including keeping the uterus from contracting during pregnancy.
As a progesterone blocker, mifepristone (taken with misoprostol) leads to uterine contractions and is used to safely end a pregnancy in the first 10 weeks. Most abortions occur in the first 8 weeks of pregnancy, and mifepristone is the most commonly used method for these early terminations.
As noted above, mifepristone also has other uses.
💥Important side note: In medical language, there are two types of abortions. One is called “induced abortion”. That is what most people think of when they hear the term. The other kind of abortion is called “spontaneous abortion”.
This refers to miscarriages.
In a spontaneous abortion, also known as a miscarriage, mifepristone helps the uterus empty of pregnancy tissue.
Mifepristone is also used for people with Cushing disease who have high blood sugar caused by their high cortisol levels. Because mifepristone blocks cortisol, it helps bring down their blood sugar levels.
Over the last 2+ years, there have been legal and legislative efforts to limit clinicians’ ability to prescribe or a patient’s access to mifepristone because of its use in abortion care. (Interestingly, mifepristone use for Cushing disease is not being restricted or challenged.)
On June 13, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) actions to establish dosing and availability requirements for mifepristone are legal. Keep in mind that mifepristone was first FDA-approved for abortion in 2000. Since then, it has been widely prescribed and used.
But currently, in 14 states all abortion care is banned, including the use of medication for abortion care. Eleven more states have various abortion restrictions in place.
Since abortion care (both surgical and medication) availability is at risk or gone in several parts of the country, if you are sexually active and do not want to be pregnant, talk to your clinician now about what options are available to you. Currently available considerations:
- having a backup supply of emergency contraception (not the same as mifepristone and still available over the counter)
- getting an IUD
- using a barrier method and spermicide *every time* you engage in sexual activity
- taking oral birth control pills
- talking to your partner(s) about vasectomies
See this dashboard for more information on access and restrictions in your state. (Last updated December 20, 2024.)
See past posts for more on emergency contraception and other options:
Is emergency contraception the same as abortion?
What are my options if I don’t want to be pregnant right now?
Stay safe. Stay informed.
Love,
Those Nerdy Girls &+
References and Resources:
Information about Mifepristone for Medical Termination
What Is Mifepristone and How Does It Work?
What to Know About Abortion and Miscarriages With or Without Mifepristone
Link to Original Substack Post
