Abortion Pill Failure: 1 in 20 Women Need Follow-Up
- More than 5% of women who undergo medication abortion require a secondary procedure as the initial abortion pill, mifepristone, fails, according to a recent analysis by the Ethics...
- The EPPC study analyzed 865,727 mifepristone abortions and found that 45,498 women needed a second abortion within 45 days.
- These findings align with another study that indicated over 10% of women experienced "serious adverse events" after taking mifepristone in 2023.
Over 5% of women experience abortion pill failure after taking mifepristone, requiring secondary procedures, a new study reveals. This alarming rate, detailed in a recent analysis, underscores serious concerns about the effectiveness of medication abortion and the potential need for repeat abortions, with some women requiring surgical interventions after primary abortion pill use. Another study shows that 1 in 10 women faced serious complications. Experts are now urging the FDA to reconsider the approval of mifepristone. News directory 3 keeps you updated on the developments from the medical world. Discover what’s next …
Study: Abortion Pill Failure Leads to Secondary Procedures
Updated May 27, 2025
More than 5% of women who undergo medication abortion require a secondary procedure as the initial abortion pill, mifepristone, fails, according to a recent analysis by the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC). The study, which examined insurance claims from 2017 to 2023, highlights concerns about the effectiveness of medication abortion and the potential need for repeat abortions.
The EPPC study analyzed 865,727 mifepristone abortions and found that 45,498 women needed a second abortion within 45 days. Of those, 24,563 opted for surgical abortions, while nearly 7,000 underwent a combination of medication and surgical interventions. This data underscores the potential for incomplete abortions and the subsequent need for further medical procedures.
These findings align with another study that indicated over 10% of women experienced “serious adverse events” after taking mifepristone in 2023. That analysis, commissioned by the Foundation for the Restoration of America, revealed that roughly 11.2% of women suffered significant health complications, such as hemorrhaging, the need for blood transfusions, emergency room visits, or sepsis.
The EPPC study’s results are reportedly 22 times higher than the adverse event rates listed by the U.S.Food and Drug Governance (FDA) on its label for Mifeprex in 2023.
“Simply stated, mifepristone, as used in real-world conditions, is not ‘safe and effective,’” said Ryan Anderson and Jamie Bryan Hall, the authors behind the EPPC research.
Anderson and Hall are advocating for the FDA to reinstate stricter patient safety protocols and reassess its approval of mifepristone, emphasizing that “women deserve better than the abortion pill.” The rise in self-managed abortions since the overturning of Roe v. Wade has amplified the importance of this issue.
Data from the Guttmacher Institute shows that medication abortions accounted for 63% of all abortions in 2023, a significant increase from 31% in 2014. the FDA initially approved mifepristone in 2000.
What’s next
the debate surrounding the safety and efficacy of mifepristone is highly likely to continue, with ongoing calls for further research and stricter regulations to ensure patient safety in medication abortion procedures.