Mifepristone: ten years later

While pregnant women have sought abortifacients for thousands of years, they had no success at finding one that both worked and did not jeopardize their lives in the process. The discovery of mifepristone, with both anti-glucocorticoid and anti-progesterone properties, has had a profound effect on women's lives while weaving the abortion-related political hazards. Despite the controversies, millions of women around the world have used mifepristone for medical abortion. This review describes how researchers addressed the numerous barriers of a mifepristone abortion (i.e., gestational age limitation, lengthy process, high costs, complex regimen, failures, side effects and complications) and continue to improve upon the limited numbers and types of clinicians offering mifepristone. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All fights reserved.