We have summarized the safe methods of terminating pregnancy using medicine in an easy-to-understand manner with pictures and short sentences.
If you want to save it as a document and view it separately or print it, you can download and view the PDF file attached at the bottom of this page.
[Important information to know first]
Since January 1, 2021, pregnancy termination is no longer legally punished in South Korea.
However, still very insufficient in the country are the approval of abortifacients, the application of the National Health Insurance, and supplementary legislation and policies for safe pregnancy termination and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
Though the introduction of one of the drugs still hasn’t been officially approved, many people have already obtained and used this drug through various channels. Accordingly, we provide information on the safe use of abortifacients and things to consider before and after taking these drugs.
This provides information based on the guidelines of the WHO.
SHARE will do its utmost for the approval of abortifacients, the application of the National Health Insurance, the preparation of supplementary legislation and policies, and the provision of information without discrimination and the securement of accesibility so that more people may terminate pregnancy safely ASAP.
There are two drugs that help pregnancy termination (mifepristone and misoprostol).
| 
|
The success rate I 95-99% when both drugs are used. | 
|
These drugs are used safely in 95 countries. However, mifepristone still hasn’t been approved in South Korea. | 
|
In particular, pregnancy termination through drugs can be performed more safely up to the 12th week, during early pregnancy.
| 
|
If both drugs can be obtained: |
First, take 1 pill of mifepristone with water. | 
|
After 1-2 days, |  
|
Place either 4 pills of misoprostol under your tongue or 2 pills between each cheek and gum. Hold the pills for 30 minutes, letting them melt.
| 
|
You may swallow saliva if it’s produced. However, the pills must not be taken together with water or food. | 
|
Pills that haven’t melted completely even after 30 minutes may be swallowed with water.
| 
|
If only misoprostol is used: |
You need a total of 12 pills. | 
|
Place either 4 pills of misoprostol under your tongue or 2 pills between each cheek and gum. Hold the pills for 30 minutes, letting them melt.
| 
|
Let 4 pills melt in the same way, at intervals of 3 hours. | 
|
Useful tips |
It’s better to undergo the procedure after resting for around 2 days. | 
|
We recommend a comfortable place with a toilet.
| 
|
Be with a supportive friend or someone close. Also plan ahead of time who you will contact for help and which hospital you will go to during emergencies.
| 
|
Take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) before you take misoprostol. If the pain continues, you may take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs every 6-8 hours.
| 
|
Taking a warm shower or applying hand warmers can help, too.
| 
|
After you take misoprostol, you will experience stomachache and bleeding. The discharge will be complete within 4-24 hours, on an average, after you take the final misoprostol. | 
|
| 
|
You many experience symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, fever, and/or chills. | 
|
In case bleeding that is enough to drench 2 or more mid-sized menstrual pads per hour continues for 2 or more hours consecutively, pain continues even after you have taken pain relievers, and/or a high fever of 38 degrees (centigrade) or above continues for 24 or more hours, you must go to a hospital promptly.
| 
|
If there’s no particular problem, you can resume light daily tasks from the next day. | 
|
We recommend that you go to a hospital within 1-2 weeks from the procedure to confirm ultrasonography results and to receive counseling on subsequent health management and birth control.
| 
|
In case you’re unable to visit a hospital, please make sure that you get negative results on a pregnancy test kit 3 weeks after undergoing pregnancy termination.
| 
|
You may begin to menstruate 4-6 weeks after pregnancy termination. | 
|
After pregnancy termination, you may resume sexual relations if you’re ready. However, because you can become pregnant again starting 2 weeks after pregnancy termination, you should set up a birth control plan right away.
| 
|
[Abortifacients making pregnancy termination possible: Regarding mifepristone and misoprostol]
The WHO has designated mifepristone and misoprostol, which are drugs allowing us to terminate pregnancy, as essential medicines that it recommends all national governments to provide to people who need them. As of 2023, pregnancy termination is performed safely with these drugs in 95 countries worldwide.
Taking mifepristone and misoprostol at the same time is the safest and the most effective. When both drugs are used in early pregnancy, the success rate of pregnancy termination is known to be 95-99%, which is very effective.
South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety still hasn’t introduced mifepristone so that hospitals nationwide use only misoprostol or other drugs such as methotrexate. Misoprostol has been approved for use for stomach diseases. Because the drug has the effect of contracting the uterus, it has also been used in pregnancy termination depending on medical personnel’s judgments.
Though misoprostol alone has a high success rate of terminating pregnancy, it is less effective than using mifepristone and misoprostol together. Though methotrexate is originally an antineoplastic (anti-cancer) drug, some hospitals use it for pregnancy termination. Because safety is not confirmed in this case, please ask the hospital which drug(s) it is using. Also, please be careful with drugs sold online because the doses or ingredients are inaccurate in many cases!
Pregnancy termination can be done safely the sooner the decision is made and the medical procedure is undertaken without any discrimination, restriction, or punishment. The later it is performed, professional help is necessary in consideration of various situations.
**Click this link to watch the video ‘Safe abortion using medication’ 🙂 https://youtu.be/yuUYjapsW1w
**For other, detailed information for safe pregnancy termination, please inquire us at SHARE or see “Safe Abortion Guidebook for Counselors and Medical Professionals ‘Together, by Your Side’.”🙂 https://bit.ly/3dlnhsj
**Inquiries/counseling share.srhr@gmail.com / support SHARE https://srhr.kr/support
We have summarized the safe methods of terminating pregnancy using medicine in an easy-to-understand manner with pictures and short sentences.
If you want to save it as a document and view it separately or print it, you can download and view the PDF file attached at the bottom of this page.
[Important information to know first]
Since January 1, 2021, pregnancy termination is no longer legally punished in South Korea.
However, still very insufficient in the country are the approval of abortifacients, the application of the National Health Insurance, and supplementary legislation and policies for safe pregnancy termination and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
Though the introduction of one of the drugs still hasn’t been officially approved, many people have already obtained and used this drug through various channels. Accordingly, we provide information on the safe use of abortifacients and things to consider before and after taking these drugs.
This provides information based on the guidelines of the WHO.
SHARE will do its utmost for the approval of abortifacients, the application of the National Health Insurance, the preparation of supplementary legislation and policies, and the provision of information without discrimination and the securement of accesibility so that more people may terminate pregnancy safely ASAP.
There are two drugs that help pregnancy termination (mifepristone and misoprostol).
The success rate I 95-99% when both drugs are used.
These drugs are used safely in 95 countries.
However, mifepristone still hasn’t been approved in South Korea.
In particular, pregnancy termination through drugs can be performed more safely up to the 12th week, during early pregnancy.
If both drugs can be obtained:
First, take 1 pill of mifepristone with water.
After 1-2 days,
Place either 4 pills of misoprostol under your tongue or 2 pills between each cheek and gum. Hold the pills for 30 minutes, letting them melt.
You may swallow saliva if it’s produced. However, the pills must not be taken together with water or food.
Pills that haven’t melted completely even after 30 minutes may be swallowed with water.
If only misoprostol is used:
You need a total of 12 pills.
Place either 4 pills of misoprostol under your tongue or 2 pills between each cheek and gum. Hold the pills for 30 minutes, letting them melt.
Let 4 pills melt in the same way, at intervals of 3 hours.
Useful tips
It’s better to undergo the procedure after resting for around 2 days.
We recommend a comfortable place with a toilet.
Be with a supportive friend or someone close. Also plan ahead of time who you will contact for help and which hospital you will go to during emergencies.
Take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) before you take misoprostol. If the pain continues, you may take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs every 6-8 hours.
Taking a warm shower or applying hand warmers can help, too.
After you take misoprostol, you will experience stomachache and bleeding.
The discharge will be complete within 4-24 hours, on an average, after you take the final misoprostol.
You many experience symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, fever, and/or chills.
In case bleeding that is enough to drench 2 or more mid-sized menstrual pads per hour continues for 2 or more hours consecutively, pain continues even after you have taken pain relievers, and/or a high fever of 38 degrees (centigrade) or above continues for 24 or more hours, you must go to a hospital promptly.
If there’s no particular problem, you can resume light daily tasks from the next day.
We recommend that you go to a hospital within 1-2 weeks from the procedure to confirm ultrasonography results and to receive counseling on subsequent health management and birth control.
In case you’re unable to visit a hospital, please make sure that you get negative results on a pregnancy test kit 3 weeks after undergoing pregnancy termination.
You may begin to menstruate 4-6 weeks after pregnancy termination.
After pregnancy termination, you may resume sexual relations if you’re ready. However, because you can become pregnant again starting 2 weeks after pregnancy termination, you should set up a birth control plan right away.
[Abortifacients making pregnancy termination possible: Regarding mifepristone and misoprostol]
The WHO has designated mifepristone and misoprostol, which are drugs allowing us to terminate pregnancy, as essential medicines that it recommends all national governments to provide to people who need them. As of 2023, pregnancy termination is performed safely with these drugs in 95 countries worldwide.
Taking mifepristone and misoprostol at the same time is the safest and the most effective. When both drugs are used in early pregnancy, the success rate of pregnancy termination is known to be 95-99%, which is very effective.
South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety still hasn’t introduced mifepristone so that hospitals nationwide use only misoprostol or other drugs such as methotrexate. Misoprostol has been approved for use for stomach diseases. Because the drug has the effect of contracting the uterus, it has also been used in pregnancy termination depending on medical personnel’s judgments.
Though misoprostol alone has a high success rate of terminating pregnancy, it is less effective than using mifepristone and misoprostol together. Though methotrexate is originally an antineoplastic (anti-cancer) drug, some hospitals use it for pregnancy termination. Because safety is not confirmed in this case, please ask the hospital which drug(s) it is using. Also, please be careful with drugs sold online because the doses or ingredients are inaccurate in many cases!
Pregnancy termination can be done safely the sooner the decision is made and the medical procedure is undertaken without any discrimination, restriction, or punishment. The later it is performed, professional help is necessary in consideration of various situations.
**Click this link to watch the video ‘Safe abortion using medication’ 🙂 https://youtu.be/yuUYjapsW1w
**For other, detailed information for safe pregnancy termination, please inquire us at SHARE or see “Safe Abortion Guidebook for Counselors and Medical Professionals ‘Together, by Your Side’.”🙂 https://bit.ly/3dlnhsj
**Inquiries/counseling share.srhr@gmail.com / support SHARE https://srhr.kr/support