Patient's question:
Tonight, I had sex with my boyfriend without protection. I quickly went to the pharmacy to buy Cytotec (mifepristone tablets). We are not familiar with this medication, and we've heard it's very potent. I've heard that the previous Mifepristone tablets (known as Ergotamine tablets) were banned for retail sale because they could terminate pregnancy. Is Cytotec (mifepristone tablets) the same type of medication? Can it be used for emergency contraception? What is its success rate? I'm worried about its potential impact on future fertility, and I'm also afraid that I might actually be pregnant now. The medication is 10mg, and I urgently need a response. If possible, I would like to switch to a different medication.Doctor's answer:
The most promising application is the use of mifepristone as an emergency contraceptive, with definite clinical efficacy. In China, reports have emerged regarding the use of 10, 25, and 50 mg of mifepristone alone or in combination with 7.5 mg of ethinylestradiol for emergency contraception after unprotected intercourse within 72 to 120 hours, all of which have significantly reduced pregnancy rates. The successful development of the antiprogestogen mifepristone has made it possible to replace surgical termination of early pregnancy with medication. Since the end of 1992, when domestically produced mifepristone was approved for market release, millions of women in China have used mifepristone in combination with prostaglandin for induced abortion in just a few years. A large number of research reports have been published. Moreover, as research deepens, its applications have expanded beyond early pregnancy termination. The clinical efficacy for terminating mid-trimester pregnancies and inducing stillbirths is relatively certain; as an emergency contraceptive, it is undergoing large-scale multicenter clinical trials; and its potential for use in contraception is currently being explored.