Medical abortions have been used to terminate early pregnancies in Australia since a national ban on abortion drugs Mifepristone (RU486) and Misoprostol was lifted in 2006.
However a number of Australian states still have laws in place that make it difficult to have a medical abortion. In the Northern Territory, for example, parliamentarians are moving to improve access to the drugs.
The patchy access and social stigma around abortion means there is plenty of misinformation about medical terminations.
So we asked Dr Philip Goldstone, medical director for Marie Stopes International, Australia's largest provider of pregnancy termination services, to answer some common questions about the procedure.
When would a medical abortion be recommended?
They can be used to terminate an early pregnancy. A patient should not be at more than nine weeks gestation at the time of the medical abortion.
After this time a doctor or specialist would recommend a surgical abortion, Goldstone said.
Women will often choose a medical abortion because it is a less invasive procedure, he said, or they don't want to have an anaesthetic.
"It isn't about safety or efficacy because both medical and surgical abortions are very safe and very effective procedures," he said.
"It feels more private because it is completed at home without a doctor putting instruments into their vagina, but some women choose a surgical abortion because they want to wake up and it is over."
How does a medical abortion actually work?
The patient will have a blood test to have their blood group, blood count and pregnancy hormone level checked before an ultrasound to double check the pregnancy is not ectopic (outside the uterus).
Counselling will be offered and the doctor will make sure you're certain you want the treatment and are aware of any risks involved.
The actual abortion involves taking two different medications Mifepristone (RU486) and Misoprostol.
"Mifepristone is an antiprogesterone, and progesterone is necessary to maintain pregnancy in the early stages, so by blocking the progesterone the pill essentially causes the pregnancy to fail and it also opens the cervix a little, which makes it easier for pregnancy tissue to come out," Goldstone said.
The second medication, Misoprostol, is taken 36 to 48 hours later.
"It essentially causes the uterus to squeeze down and expel its contents."
Can every woman have one?
Patients must be able to access emergency care if needed, in case "very rare" bleeding or haemorrhaging occurs, Goldstone said.
"It is not suitable for someone taking blood thinners or a steroid such as Prednisone for asthma or for someone who has fallen pregnant with an IUD in place," he said.
"We have treated women as young as 13 and old as 49 so it doesn't matter what age they are or whether they have had children or do or don't get period pain."
What are the most common side effects?
Goldstone said most women won't notice side effects from the first medication.
"The second medication causes the expected effects of bleeding and cramping but because we are using the medication to essentially induce a miscarriage there can also be other side effects like nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea," he said.
"There will be a certain level of pain and there will be more bleeding than a regular period."
What if it doesn't work?
"The quoted efficacy of the product we use is 93 to 98% but our experience is a little better than that with less than 1% having a [continuing] pregnancy," Goldstone said.
If ineffective, another medical abortion or a surgical abortion is performed.
"Two or three weeks after taking the pills there is a follow up and there is usually 2 or 3% of people who have terminated the pregnancy but there has been an incomplete abortion where not all the tissue has come out."
In this scenario a woman can either wait for the tissue to leave her body or have surgery to remove it.
Are abortion drugs really less toxic than Panadol?
"You can kill yourself with Panadol but you can’t kill yourself with the abortion pill," Goldstone said.
"If you took a packet of Panadol you would cause serious damage to your liver and potentially die, you're not going to have that effect from the abortion pills."
How much does it usually cost?
It varies between jurisdictions and women in rural or regional areas will usually have to pay more, Goldstone said.
"For a woman with a Medicare card in our clinic it is about $400 or $500 but a woman might find a general practitioner who provides a medical abortion and bulk bills the cost."