The abortion pill is generally an anti-pregnancy hormonal pill that is used to end pregnancy. If any woman doesn’t want pregnancy, she can use abortion pills and a new menstrual cycle starts with terminating that pregnancy.
The conceptive arrangement of a female shows ordinary cyclic changes that might be viewed as occasional groundwork for pregnancy. The menstrual cycle is a progression of normal changes in chemical creation and the designs of the uterus and ovaries of the female regenerative framework that makes pregnancy conceivable. Normally 21 to 35 days are taken to complete a menstrual cycle but the most appropriate timeline is 28 days per cycle.
Every fertile woman usually has her period every month but after using the abortion pill, the next periodic cycle might return within 4-8 weeks.
How abortion pill work to terminate pregnancy?
As we all know the main hormone from a woman’s reproductive system that works for pregnancy is progesterone. Mifepristone and Misoprostol are two widely used pills known to have activity towards abortion. Mifepristone blocks the ovarian system to release progesterone. Systematically, the pregnancy stops growing after that, and misoprostol causes cramping and bleeding from the uterus to empty it. Within 24 hours of using mifepristone and misoprostol, the pregnancy ended with bleeding which is kind of similar process to miscarriages.
Does the abortion pill stop the menstrual cycle?
Of course, the abortion pill does not stop the menstrual cycle but it can make a woman’s menstrual cycle irregular for a few months. Let us know about menstrual phases and the name of the activated hormones first to learn about why the abortion pill affects the menstrual cycle:
- The menstruation phase: It starts with the first day of menstrual bleeding. Generally, no gonadotropic hormone plays an active role during this phase.
- The follicular phase: After ending of bleeding, this phase starts. During this phase estrogen hormone rises and another hormone starts releasing from the pituitary gland Follicle Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) in this phase.
- Ovulation phase: This phase is continued from 14 to 28 days and the Luteinizing Hormone (LH) plays an important role in releasing eggs from the ovary during this phase.
- The luteal phase: This phase also continues parallelly with ovulation from day 15 to 28. In this duration, the ovary releases estrogen and progesterone for implanting fertilized ovum in the lining of the uterus. If fertilization doesn’t occur, the estrogen and progesterone hormone levels drop and start the menstruation phase again.
From the discussion, we learned that estrogen and progesterone have an active role in the menstrual cycle as well as pregnancy. Abortion pills Mifepristone and Misoprostol work to block the progesterone hormone. So, if the abortion pill isn’t taken the right way, it might hamper the luteal phase, and thus menstrual cycle might be stopped for a few months.
What are the complications of using abortion pills?
With the disturbing menstrual cycle for a few months, the abortion pill might have some other adverse effects:
- Increase the risk of breast cancer
- Affect fertility
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Cervical polyps, fibroid
- Uterine bleeding and Hemorrhaging
- Infectious diseases in women’s reproductive system
- Allergic reaction
Final thoughts
Abortion pills don’t have any direct association with stopping the menstrual cycle but it definitely can generate menstrual cycle disorder. Before taking any abortion pill, consult with your gynecologist for a safe abortion.