Prevention and termination of pregnancy are two different medical methods. Yet some people confuse these concepts, especially when it is about abortion pills and emergency contraceptive pills such as Plan B. While an abortion pill helps to end a pregnancy, Plan B protects you from conceiving. The latter is different from regular birth control. It is supposed to be used in sudden needs, like an emergency such as fear of birth control failures such as a ripped or leaking condom or missing contraceptive pill doses, or unprotected intercourse.
But the abortion pill (Mifepristone and Misoprostol) is all about vacating the uterus of all the products of conception. Thus, you need an established pregnancy in the uterus (not outside such as an ectopic pregnancy) for the success of a medical termination. Plan B on the other hand cannot work to end a pregnancy that has already taken place. It contains the hormone Levonorgestrel, which even after fertilization of the egg, prevents it from getting implanted in the uterus lining by shedding it.
In this post, we will discuss in detail the differences between an abortion pill and a Plan B emergency contraceptive pill.
What Do Abortion Pills Do?
It is simple to access pregnancy termination pills. You can buy abortion pills online and get the medicine in discreet packaging at the doorstep.If you use Mifepristone 200mg and Misoprostol 200mcg x 4 pills, then it can safely end a pregnancy at home without hospitalization. Mifepristone is an anti-progesterone. As a pregnancy hormone, progesterone is responsible to keep the endometrial lining intact.
Until the placenta grows, the pregnancy hormone supplements the fetus with nutrition because of implantation. Mifepristone blocks or suppresses this hormone.It causes the endometrial lining to break so that the embryo disengages from the uterus wall. Then Misoprostol pills induce labor by creating contractions in the womb.
This widens the cervix and helps the pregnancy portions to exit from the vagina. The expulsion occurs through heavy vaginal bleeding. The procedure after the use of the secondary medicine may take 24 to 72 hours to complete.
What is the Work of Plan B Emergency Contraceptive?
Plan B is a one-dose regimen that you take after unprotected intercourse to prevent pregnancy. It is also known as the morning-after pill. The medicine may either delay or prevent ovulation. Or, it may disallow implantation of the embryo. It does not work on an existing pregnancy. Do not use this pill as a routine birth control. Also, it does not safeguard you against an STI (sexually transmitted infection). Thus, the pill is a backup method. It is available over the counter and easy to take.
How to Use Abortion Pills?
Take Mifepristone on day 1. As it is an oral pill, you need to consume it with water. Do not chew, crush, or powder the medicine. Wait for 24 to 48 hours, then self-administer Misoprostol 200mcg x 4 pills buccally. By placing 2 pills each in cheek canals for half an hour to melt, consume the contents thereafter orally. Or, you can insert all the pills one by one into the vagina. After 30 minutes of laying down, the melted medicine will get absorbed into the uterus.
How to Take Plan B Pill?
Take the Plan B emergency contraceptive pill orally with water as soon as possible after unprotected intercourse. Make sure the consumption happens within 72 hours of the intimacy. Otherwise, the medicine will not work. Also, you need to use the pill after intercourse and not before the activity. But you must not overdose on the medicine or utilize it to terminate a pregnancy. The medication is only meant to stop a pregnancy from taking place.
Final Words
While abortion pills terminate a pregnancy, Plan B prevents a pregnancy from happening. Both medicines are essential for pregnancy care and reproductive health. But they have different functions as explained in the post.