| The only side
effects reported by women using mifepristone/RU-486 plus prostaglandin for early abortion
are similar to those of a spontaneous miscarriage - uterine cramps, bleeding, nausea, and
fatigue. Mifepristone is as safe as aspiration abortion ; it is a non-invasive procedure
and does not require anaesthesia. The implications are most dramatic for developing
nations, where sanitary conditions for performing abortion are not often optimal.
Conservative estimates form the World Health Organisation indicated that as many as
200,000 women die each year from complications of illegal abortions. In one study, women used mifepristone as a postcoital contraceptive reported significantly less nausea, vomiting, headaches, and breast tenderness than did women who used the standard hormonal postcoital regimen. However, women who used mifepristone were more likely to experience a delay in the return of their menstrual period¹. |