In Canada, the medication abortion pills are packaged and sold as Mifegymiso. Mifegymiso comes in an outer white box, containing two smaller boxes: a green box containing mifepristone 200 mg (MIFE) and an orange box containing misoprostol 800 mcg (MISO) (four small tablets of 200 mcg each)10.

MIFE is a progesterone receptor modulator. It is a potent anti-progestin that also exhibits strong antiglucocorticoid and weak antiandrogenic properties. It blocks progesterone receptors in early pregnancy, which leads to endometrial degeneration, synthesis of prostaglandins, and decline in beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (βhCG) secretion. These events promote cervical dilation and facilitate the onset of bleeding10.

MISO is a potent synthetic prostaglandin E1 that induces cervical ripening and uterine contractions, which cause the pregnancy tissues to leave the body10.

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