title: Medications Used in Evidence-Based Regimens for Medical Abortion: An Overview.
abstract: Abortion is one of the most common medical procedures a woman experiences in her lifetime. Even though overall rates of abortion are decreasing slightly, medical abortion rates are expected to increase in Canada following approval by Health Canada of a combination of mifepristone and misoprostol for use in medical abortion.
  
  
  
  We conducted a literature review as part of the development of the 2016 Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada's Clinical Practice Guidelines on medical abortion. We searched the PubMed, MEDLINE, and Cochrane databases for articles published between 1986 and 2015 using the MeSH terms "induced abortion," "medical abortion," "mifepristone," "misoprostol," "methotrexate," and "prostaglandin." Additionally, we reviewed existing international medical abortion guidelines and searched reference lists.
  
  
  
  The most commonly studied medical abortion regimens are combinations of mifepristone and misoprostol, methotrexate and misoprostol, mifepristone and prostaglandin, and misoprostol only. Each of these regimens is a potential therapeutic choice; the advantages and disadvantages of each regimen are discussed.
  
  
  
  Drugs used for medical abortion are safe; however, clinicians who provide medical abortion and those who provide care to women who have undergone medical abortion should have an understanding of the pharmacokinetics and clinical effects of the medications used to improve outcomes and mitigate risk.
authors: Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC.
authors: Judith A
authors: JA
authors: Soon
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, McMaster University, Hamilton ON.
authors: Dustin
authors: D
authors: Costescu
authors: Institut National de Santé Publique du Québec, Québec QC; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Laval University, Quebec QC.
authors: Edith
authors: E
authors: Guilbert
mesh_terms: D000019:Abortifacient Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000379:methods*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D000019:Abortifacient Agents
keywords: Induced abortion; medical abortion; methotrexate; mifepristone; misoprostol