This page provides information about our early pregnancy medical abortion at home service.
What does the procedure involve?
The procedure is called ‘early medical abortion of pregnancy at home’. It involves:
- You attend Ward 40 day unit and take one tablet called Mifepristone. If you vomit within 20 minutes of taking this tablet, you will need to take another one.
- You will be given further medication called Misoprostol to take at home 48 hours later. The first dose is 4 tablets, which are usually inserted into your vagina. If you do not feel you have passed the pregnancy after 3 hours, you will take a further 2 tablets. You can take these vaginally or under your tongue.
- You will also be given strong painkillers called Codeine to take to help with the pain.
- If you do not bleed after 48 hours, you should contact us on the numbers below.
- If you have bleeding, it can take a few days or weeks for the pregnancy to pass.
- You will be asked to take a pregnancy test at home 3 weeks after taking the tablets. If this is positive you will need to contact the unit.
Before the treatment, we fully counsel you about all the possible risks, including the possibility of an ongoing pregnancy.
Emergency contact details
We will give you contact details of who to contact if you have any worries or concerns.
This helps women to get help or reassurance should they encounter any problems during or after the procedure.
Criteria for treatment
Before you are offered this procedure, you must meet certain criteria. These include:
- Your pregnancy is less than 10 weeks
- You should be over 16 years of age (unless accompanied by a parent/guardian)
- You should be certain of the decision to end the pregnancy
- An adult should accompany you at home during and after taking the Misoprostol
- You should have no conditions or other reasons that may stop you from having a medical abortion
- A language interpreter isn’t needed
- We have no cause for concern about your wellbeing, or safeguarding issues.
What you have told us
The feedback we have received from people who have chosen this treatment option has been positive.
Patients have said they feel more comfortable having the procedure in their own home. They feel supported by friends and family with the reassurance that nursing and medical staff are available 24 hours a day for professional advice and support.
More information
For more advice about termination of pregnancy, please contact our service:
- between 8.00am and 8.00pm 0191 282 5618
- between 8.00pm and 8.00am 0191 282 5640
