Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About...
How Emergency Contraception Works
How are emergency contraceptive pills different from the abortion pill (Mifeprex, also referred to as RU-486)?
The abortion pill, also known as mifepristone or RU-486 ("medical abortion" or "medication abortion"), is a completely
different drug from Plan B and
the other brands of
birth control pills that you can use for emergency
contraception. Emergency contraceptive pills (also called “morning
after pills" or "day after pills") contain common
female hormones, either progestin
alone or progestin
combined with estrogen. These hormones prevent
pregnancy, they do not
cause an abortion; for more about how Plan B works, read this article in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Mifepristone, which is sold in the United States under the brand name
Mifeprex, belongs to a new class of drugs known as antiprogestins,
which stop the development of a pregnancy once it has started (which
happens once a fertilized egg implants in the uterus). This drug is
approved for use in early
abortions in the United States, and many other countries. At a
far lower dose, mifepristone has been shown to also be effective for
preventing pregnancy, like emergency contraceptive pills, but it is
only available for this use in China.
For more information about medical abortion, including which countries
have approved it, click
here. There is also another
website that can help you find an abortion provider near you.