Ask Our Expert - Abortion Pill a Threat to Future Pregnancies?

September 08, 2008

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Specializing in pregnancy and birth.


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Ask Dr. Greenfield Abortion Pill a Threat to Future Pregnancies?

QUESTION


What is the deal with RU-486? Will it harm the development of the fetus in a future pregnancy? — Kummie in Menlo Park, CA

ANSWER	October 10, 2000


Dear Kummie: RU-486 is a medication that blocks the body's ability to recognize progesterone, one of the hormones a woman's body produces when she becomes pregnant. Progesterone signals the presence of a fertilized egg and tells a woman's body not to shed the uterine lining (which is what happens during menstruation). The fertilized egg needs the nutrients from the uterine lining for healthy development. When you block progesterone receptors, as with RU-486, the uterine lining loses its support and is shed. If taken early in a pregnancy, it causes the fertilized egg to be shed along with the uterine lining, thus aborting the pregnancy. Since its action is temporary, it shouldn't affect future pregnancies. — by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D.

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