A recent study suggests that an active ingredient in the emergency contraceptive Ella has another application as an alternative to the abortion pill Mifepristone.
According to a finding published in the digital journal NEJM Evidence, 133 women who were nine weeks pregnant were given twice the regular dose of ulipristal acetate, the active ingredient in Ella, followed by .8 milligrams of misoprostol, which is often used alongside Mifepristone in carrying out medical abortions. Pregnancy termination occurred in 129 participants, all but 4 of the women in the study.
Despite the remaining 4 showing no confirmed results from the drug combination, along with needing further assistance to complete their termination, these findings determined that no serious complications resulted from the study and the regime was deemed safe.
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However, political implications around abortion relating to this study could threaten access to prescribed birth control. A common conspiracy among pro-life advocates that birth control can cause miscarriages has led to calls for contraceptive pill prescription bans, despite a lack of evidence up until this study. For now, the right to birth control is still federally protected by two Supreme Court rulings. in 1965, the Supreme Court ruled in the case of “Griswald v. Connecticut” that the Constitution protects the liberty of married couples to use contraceptives, and in 1972 “Eisenstadt v. Baird” expanded on this by establishing the right of unmarried people to access contraception.
However, as we have seen with the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, reproductive rights for pregnant people remain under great threat on a state-by-state level.
Despite this looming threat, Dr. Beverly Winikoff, the lead author of this study, is determined to continue her research into reproductive health, citing the overturning of Roe as her motivation in studying how the chemical similarities with ulipristal acetate and mifepristone can lead to it being used as an alternative to the highly litigated progesterone blocker.
It also helps that Ella, which can be purchased online currently, has a shelf life of three years if stored in a dry location with minimal exposure to light at room temperature.
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