What is the Missed Period Pill?
This new term may sound confusing. In this post, we clear the air and answer your questions!
You’ve seen the commercials, the reels or heard the streaming radio ads.
It’s going by several names lately: the Missed Period Pill, Plan C, Late Period Pill, or simply Period Pill.
They are marketed as a simple way to “bring down your period”, or to jumpstart a late period.
But what exactly are these pills and how do they actually work?
Are there risks with taking the Missed Period Pill?
Let’s sit down and chat about why we’re seeing this new pill everywhere online, and what it means for women.
By the way- you can use the chatbot on this screen anytime you have questions about the Missed Period Pill that you want answered in real time, by a live nurse.
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Find out for sure with a free test at the Pregnancy Resource Center of Mountain Grove.
This post medically reviewed by on-staff nurse, Tomi Matlock, RN.
Note: The information on this website is intended for general education purposes only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional medical advice.
Missed Period Pill: New Name, Same Old Drug
First, we want to be totally transparent and jump to the point you need to know: Missed Period Pills are the exact same thing as the abortion pill(s).
When you look into getting the Missed Period Pill, you might not be thinking about being pregnant, or having an abortion.
You might just be thinking- something’s wrong here:
Why hasn’t my period started?
It would be great if there was a one-size-fits-all pill that magically regulates your period without any other consequences, right?
Well, that’s what the makers of the Period Pill (and abortion industry advocates) want you to believe.
They are advertising the Missed Period Pill as simply something that “fixes” a missed period.
What they aren’t telling you is that if you take this Missed Period Pill and it “brings on your period”, then you likely just had a chemical abortion.
The bleeding that occurs is not from a natural menstrual period, but from an abortion induced with medication.
Drugs used in Missed Period Pills
The drugs mifepristone and misoprostol, or sometimes misoprostol alone, are the drugs used in most chemical abortions.
These are the drugs you would be given if you asked for the Missed Period or Period Pills.
*Note, these medications are sometimes used for other purposes such as miscarriage care (after an unborn baby has already died), uterine fibroids, ulcers, or inducing labor during childbirth.
These different purposes do not change the risks of taking these pills in an early pregnancy (even when you don’t know you might be pregnant).
Major risk of Period Pills
All medications have risks, of course.
But here are some of the major risks to understand with the Missed Period Pill- especially the ones that we haven’t seen advertised.
Medical & Psychological Risks
Those who market the Missed Period Pill state you don’t really need to take a pregnancy test before taking the pills. (This is false, and unsafe medical advice.)
They urge women to just take them as soon as you miss your period – and understand that if by chance you were pregnant, it will ensure a “non pregnancy”.
Let’s break this down.
First, if you didn’t know you were pregnant – had never taken a pregnancy test or had a sonogram – you might be shocked when you take these pills and see your aborted embryo or fetus when you pass it.
Because that’s what these pills do: they end a pregnancy and induce labor to expel the baby.
You can expect severe cramping and heavy bleeding that can last for weeks.
Nausea, diarrhea and vomiting are also common symptoms of these drugs.
Second, even if you know you were pregnant, you might not be certain you are less than 10 weeks along – which is the limit the abortion pills are approved for by the FDA.
If you are more than 10 weeks along, you could take the pills and your pregnancy might continue.
OR, scenario #3:
The pills may, in some cases, still work past 10 weeks. But now you’re delivering a larger fetus at home- either living or not.
These situations do happen when your pregnancy has not been confirmed and verified by ultrasound imaging.
Many babies are born each year after a failed abortion attempt.
Many more babies are delivered deceased after taking abortion-inducing pills at home.
How could a woman take the Missed Period pill and be farther along than she realizes?
In some cases, women bleed throughout their pregnancy and only realize they are pregnant later on.
Some women also have irregular periods (or only a few per year), so having a very late period might be considered normal to them.
Ectopic pregnancy
The biggest risk of taking the Missed Period Pills is the possibility of an ectopic pregnancy.
An ectopic pregnancy happens when the embryo implants anywhere outside of the uterus, but usually in the fallopian tube.
The embryo cannot grow past a certain point in the fallopian tube without rupturing and potentially causing life-threatening bleeding.
If you have an ectopic pregnancy, you need immediate medical treatment.
However- if you just take the Missed Period Pill without knowing whether you’re pregnant or having an ultrasound to confirm the pregnancy location, you could be experiencing an ectopic pregnancy and not know it.
The pills will not fix an ectopic pregnancy. This requires medical intervention.
Life-saving information
As you can see, knowing that you’re pregnant, and how many weeks along you are, is the first step before taking any medication including Missed Period Pills or abortion pills.
Having this knowledge could actually save your life.
We provide free pregnancy testing AND free ultrasounds to answer the questions women need to know when they’ve missed their period:
- Am I pregnant?
- How far along am I?
- Where is the pregnancy located?
Contact us to schedule your free services, or to get a referral to a free Pregnancy Center near you.
Ignoring underlying medical issues
If you know for sure you aren’t pregnant and take the Missed Period Pill, you might be missing other medical issues that might cause you to not have a period.
Instead of taking unnecessary medication, we advise you seek medical treatment to find out what’s causing you to miss your period, especially if this is an ongoing issue for you.
Legal consequences
Although those who sell the Missed Period Pill state that they are available in all 50 states, even they have to admit that there might be legal consequences depending on your state’s current laws.
So even though abortion pills might be available to you, there is always a chance of facing legal consequences for ordering a medication that is banned or restricted in your state.
The Bottom Line on Missed Period Pills
If you’re considering Missed Period Pills, you deserve to know what they really are and how they might affect you.
Here at the Pregnancy Resource Center, we believe in educating clients on how the reproductive system actually works.
We then give you the tools for success, far beyond the present moment.
We believe you’re smart enough to understand what’s happening in your body and to make decisions that are truly good for you and your health.
Ready to Schedule Your Visit?
Make an appointment for a free pregnancy test and ultrasound.
Know the facts. Make informed decisions.
Bottom line? Don’t fall for the deceptive rebranding of the abortion pill when you see them labeled as Missed Period Pills.
Know what you’re getting into before you take them.
And consider visiting your local Pregnancy Resource Center for real answers that honor your worth as a woman and your ability to make informed choices.
You can make an appointment or chat with the nurse on your screen in the chat widget, 24/7.
Read next:
Took the Abortion Pill- What Happens Now?
Is it Safe to Order the Abortion Pill Online?
Ultrasound Before an Abortion: Reasons Why It Matters
Possible Abortion Complications
