Mifepristone Prevents More Pregnancies Than Other Emergency Options

TUESDAY, Oct. 13, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Emergency contraception with mifepristone prevents more pregnancies and has fewer side effects than other options, including levonorgestrel, according to a review published online Sept. 21 in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.Shaalini Ramanadhan, M.D., from Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, and colleagues compared mifepristone to other interventions for reproductive-aged women using emergency contraception. Data were included for 87 studies with about 36,000 participants.The researchers found that mid-dose mifepristone (25 to 50 mg) likely results in fewer pregnancies compared with levonorgestrel (risk ratio [RR], 0.67) and likely reduces the occurrence of side effects (RR, 0.55). It probably leads to fewer occurrences of early menses, with an elevated risk for delayed menses (RRs, 0.71 and 1.29, respectively). Compared with levonorgestrel, low-dose mifepristone (<25 mg) reduces pregnancy and likely results in a large reduction in side effects (RRs, 0.73 and 0.26). Low-dose mifepristone also likely reduces the risk for early menses and slightly increases the risk for delayed menses (RR, 0.45 and 1.52). Slightly higher treatment satisfaction was seen with low-dose mifepristone, but the increase was not significant. Data also revealed mifepristone (any dose) probably results in a reduction in pregnancies compared with the Yuzpe regimen (estrogen and progestin; RR, 0.14) and probably results in a large reduction in any side effects (RR, 0.89). Mifepristone increases the risk for delayed menses and increases treatment satisfaction (RR, 2.83 and 1.17, respectively)."As an anti-progestin, it works differently than the other steroid hormone-based methods like levonorgestrel and combined estrogen and progestin pills to delay or block ovulation," Ramanadhan said in a statement.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Mifepristone Prevents More Pregnancies Than Other Emergency Options

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