The Abortion Pill: How Dangerous Is It Really?

7 snips

May 23, 2024

Dr. Sara Whitburn and Professor Oskari Heikinheimo shed light on the safety and effects of the abortion pill. Topics cover how the pill works, physical and mental health impacts, bleeding concerns, and why some prefer this method. Personal stories and expert insights provide valuable information on a commonly used abortion procedure.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ADVICE

How Abortion Pills Work

Mifepristone blocks progesterone, causing the uterine lining to shed.
Misoprostol induces uterine contractions, expelling the pregnancy.

ANECDOTE

Heather's Pain Experience

Heather had her abortion in a hotel room with a doula friend for support.
She experienced intense pain for five hours, similar to labor, with vomiting and diarrhea.

ADVICE

Bleeding Guidelines

Normal bleeding after an abortion pill involves clots smaller than a lemon.
Seek help if you pass larger clots or soak two maxi pads in two hours.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

The Abortion Pill is now the most common way to have an abortion in the US. Yet what exactly happens when you take these pills is shrouded in mystery. Even many doctors don't know how well they work! Today, we're letting the sun shine on the abortion pill. We'll walk you through what happens when you take these pills: what they do to your body, and how safe are they for your physical and mental health? To explore all this - and more - we speak to Dr Sara Whitburn, Professor Oskari Heikinheimo, and Professor Ushma Upadhyay.

UPDATE 7/15/24: The episode has been updated to clarify that surgical abortions do not always happen at a hospital by a doctor, while the patient is under general anesthesia. They can also happen at clinics and patients can get a local anesthetic.

Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsTheAbortionPiill

The Abortion Project's Instagram @theabortionproject

Science Vs's Instagram @science_vs

If you want to talk to someone - there's some great resources in here: spotify.com/resources

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) The battle over the abortion pill

(04:28) How does the abortion pill work?

(09:05) How it feels to take the abortion pill

(14:34) How often do people hemorrhage?

(21:22) What's "normal" bleeding?

(24:11) Does taking the abortion pill affect your mental health?

(32:02) Why some people prefer the abortion pill

This episode was produced by Meryl Horn and Wendy Zukerman, with help from Rose Rimler, and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Bobby Lord, Emma Munger, So Wylie, Bumi Hidaka and Peter Leonard. Thanks to all the researchers we spoke to including Dr. Tiffany Green, Dr. Ned Calonge, Professor Jenny Higgins, Dr. Daniel Aaron, Dr. Beverly Winikoff, and Dr. Abigail Aiken. Also thanks to Lauren Silverman, the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices