After taking abortion pills, the person may experience the following symptoms:

• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, and fever
• Pain, usually within half an hour and generally much stronger than period pain
• Pain from uterine cramping
• Unpredictable, irregular, or prolonged bleeding

The person may feel tired or crampy for a day or so, and they’ll have bleeding and spotting for a while. Most people go back to normal activities a day or two after a medication abortion. The bleeding and cramping are normal during a medication abortion. The person may see large blood clots (up to the size of a lemon) or clumps of tissue during the abortion, but the pregnancy itself is very small. It’s normal to bleed and spot off and on for several weeks after the abortion, and the person can use pads, tampons, or a menstrual cup. The person may also have tender breasts, and they may leak a milky discharge, but that should stop in a couple of days.

If the abortion doesnt work and the person is still pregnant, they may need another dose of medicine or to have an in-clinic procedure to complete the abortion. Complications are rare, but they can include pregnancy tissue being left in the uterus, blood clots in the uterus, bleeding too much or for too long, infection, or an ongoing pregnancy. These issues can often be addressed with medication or other treatments.

It’s important to note that taking the abortion pill will not have any long-term effects on the persons body, and it will not increase their risk for breast cancer or affect their fertility. Abortion is very safe and doesn’t cause problems with future pregnancies and doesn’t negatively impact physical or mental health.