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Misoprostol and Bleeding: What Users Say

Brand names: Cytotec

Bleeding: mentioned by 253 users (35.0%)

Based on user experiences from 723 Misoprostol reviews, the following table shows the most commonly mentioned side effects.

All user comments are moderated by Drugs.com. Each review is verified for relevance and screened for inappropriate content. Side effects are user-reported and not clinically verified.

cramps 70.8%
bleeding 35.0%
nausea 28.2%
pain 22.5%
diarrhea 20.6%
vomiting 12.7%
chills 7.5%
blood clots 5.9%
sweating 3.9%
severe pain 3.7%

Reviews for Misoprostol

Commonly mentioned side effects
  • Anonymous
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • July 19, 2021

For Abortion "I’m 22 years old and it’s my first time getting pregnant. I was so scared about taking the pills. I was 6 weeks pregnant when I took the first pill at 9:00 am. A few hours later, I started bleeding. I was nauseous, passing gas, and had palpitations. Still, I waited for 36 hours and then inserted the second pill vaginally. I was given a pain relief injection (diclofenac). Four hours after inserting the misoprostol, I had cramps, not even half as intense as my normal period cramps. I went to the toilet, saw the first blood clot, and a few minutes later, I passed something like a sac, then another blood clot the size of a walnut, and then the cramping stopped. I had moderate bleeding. It’s been 2 days now, and I'm just having very light bleeding. My experience was smooth, but everyone is different. Do not think about it too much. You can do it, girl."

5 / 10
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  • Mea...
  • July 17, 2021

For Abortion "I'm 39 with 3 kids. Got pregnant. By 6 weeks, I was miserable with fatigue and feeling so sick. At 6 wks 5 days, I decided I can't do it anymore. I went to a clinic while on vacation in Florida. Got the first pill on Thurs at noon. On Fri, I felt very nauseous, had a few cramps. By Friday at 3:30pm, I had light bleeding and bloody watery fluids. Soon after, I had two ping pong ball-sized clots. About 8pm, another one passed out. No pain, just slid out. The morning sickness calmed down a lot. I was certain I passed it. Took misoprostol at midnight in cheeks. Right before, I took a piece of Phenergan for nausea and half of a 7.5mg Vicodin. Went to sleep. Passed a small clot with bloody fluid at 2am. No pain. On Saturday morning, I was bleeding like a heavy period. Being in a toxic relationship and feeling so terribly sick, and being very content with the children I have, helped me come to my decision. I don't feel any regret at this time. Hugs to all reading this. Hope it helps."

10 / 10
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  • Ros...
  • July 21, 2021

For Abortion "I was 3 weeks pregnant when I took misoprostol, 2 orally, then I inserted 2 vaginally. After 3 hours, I had mild to severe cramps, but it was just like menstrual cramps. Then came the bleeding, and a thick black blood was expelled. All this happened within 2-4 hours. Since then, it has been small drops and mild cramps that come and go."

9 / 10
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Frequently asked questions

  • Sis...
  • February 5, 2021

For Abortion "Took the pills at 1 am, put them under my tongue. Experienced mild diarrhea. Went to sleep and woke up at 4 am to push the clots and pregnancy out. It was so painless, I was shocked because I was so scared from the reviews. Heavy bleeding, but that’s just it. Take pain relievers before taking the pills, and you’ll be fine. Trust me ❤️"

10 / 10
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  • Anonymous
  • April 18, 2020

For Abortion "First off, I’d like to say everyone is different and has a different tolerance for pain. I did this at 6 weeks. Before I took the pills, I read these reviews and some had me scared to death. I thought about just not doing anything, but I finally had the courage to go through with it. I took the 2 orally, then the other 4 inserted vaginally around 9:10 pm, and maybe 2 hours later I started having mild cramps, like my normal period cramps. I went to bed and woke up with still mild cramps, but surprisingly no bleeding. I didn’t pass any clots till about 10 hours later, I passed my first clot the size of a lollipop, lol. Then it was just like a normal period afterwards. It was better than I expected. So relax, guys!! All the best."

9 / 10
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  • Hey...
  • June 25, 2021

For Abortion "! As always, you will come across some bad ones that put fear in you. So I’m going to tell you my experience. I took the first pill yesterday at the clinic at 2:10. I then took four today in my cheeks and let them dissolve. Before I took them, I took an anti-nausea tablet and ibuprofen 800. About an hour or so into it, the cramps got pretty bad, out of 10 I’d say 8. About three hours later, I started bleeding, and I kept telling myself 'It’s almost over.' Cramps intensified, and I ended up throwing up (only once). About an hour and a half after I started bleeding, I went to the bathroom and pushed, and that’s when the blob came out. I advise you not to look like I did. After that, I have clotting and tissue coming out, but the pain is manageable. I didn’t think I could do this, and I’m here to tell you that you can. I know it’s hard going through pain, but I promise you it gets better!"

9 / 10
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  • pro...
  • January 19, 2021

For Abortion "I honestly spent about 4-5 hours reading horror stories upon horror stories about the MA pill, there were some lovely reassuring ones too, but not as many as I would have liked, so I’m here to tell you my experience because I wish I saw this comment. I took the 1st pill on the Monday at 2 pm, no problem, slight cramping but literally nothing. I then took the second medication orally at 6 pm the next day. Period type cramps started about 1 hour later, & gradually got worse until bleeding started. It’s just bad period cramps, they are strong but you get used to the pain if that makes sense & it’s bearable. I took codeine too which helped. Within 2 hours I had passed the majority & then the pain subsided. I’m glad I was in my own home & was able to deal with the cramps how I wanted. Please do not be scared by these horror stories, they are 1 in 100. You know your body & your pain tolerance so choose what is best for you. X"

10 / 10
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  • ho1...
  • May 25, 2021

For Abortion "I wanted to share my experience with Mifepristone and Misoprostol. When I had my abortion, I was just under 6 weeks pregnant. First, I took the Mifepristone at about 11 pm on a Saturday night, and I bled a tiny bit about 23 hours after taking the pill. About 25 hours after I took the first pill, I took the 4 Misoprostol pills by mouth and 800 mg of Ibuprofen. About an hour after I swallowed the pills, I started cramping. It started out as light cramps, but then slowly turned into more intense cramps, but they were very manageable. My bleeding was heavy but not as heavy as I thought it was going to be. About 12 hours after I took the 4 pills, I passed a decent-sized clot, which was me passing the pregnancy. I honestly think that I may have passed it earlier on, but I was laying down all night, so it was hard to tell until I got up and felt it come out of me. Once I passed the pregnancy, my bleeding and cramps became lighter. You've got this!"

10 / 10
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  • Jay...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • January 25, 2021

For Abortion "I went to have my abortion. By pill. I was 6 weeks. The process was simple, I took one pill at the clinic and then 4 pills at home to dissolve under my tongue. I was prepared to cramp badly and be in awful pain after, but unlike the horror stories I read, it was nothing like that. I barely cramped, just had bleeding. I was prepared for the worst, the process was very simple & I experienced no physical pain. Other than the people that protest outside the building made me uncomfortable, I had my mind made up and knew what I wanted to do."

10 / 10
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  • Cat...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • August 27, 2021

For Abortion "I was so scared to take this from the bad reviews. I cried so much, but I want to let others know of my experience because I wish I had read this. I took my first pill orally at 5:30 pm on a Fri, and I didn’t feel any pain or bleeding, just some bloating and dizziness but that only lasted a couple of minutes. I took my second pills all orally at 5:50 am on a Sunday with pain relief 20 minutes beforehand. I then slept until 9 am. When I woke up, I felt cramps, went to the toilet, passed 2 clots, and felt a bit nauseous. My cramps worsened for the next 30 minutes but were still bearable, then I went to the toilet, passed 2 more clots, and felt almost instant relief. I think that’s when I passed the pregnancy. I still bled quite heavily after that and passed clots throughout the day, but the cramps lessened, and I just chilled and watched some movies. I was so happy with how smoothly and bearable it all went. You are so strong, girl, you can do this! Please don’t be scared, sending you my love x"

10 / 10
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  • Dev...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • January 23, 2021

For Abortion "I was 6 weeks pregnant. I read a lot, I researched a lot and on top of that my friend shared her horrifying experience of the same and so I was so scared. I took 1st pill and next after 36 hrs. I felt pain after 1 hour but really big clots started flushing out. 3-4 hrs heavy bleeding and mild cramps and felt comfortable after that. As per my experience, be mentally prepared for all conditions, have someone by your side and a hot water bag. You'll be fine. Always remember God is with you."

9 / 10
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  • All...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • August 16, 2021

For Abortion "I am 2 weeks and 4 days pregnant. I used Cytotec, I inserted 2 and swallowed 2 around 1am. I bled from 5am to 4pm, heavy bleeding for just one day, and it stopped flowing. The next two days, I did another pregnancy test and it is still positive. What should I do?"

5 / 10
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  • Mea...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • February 14, 2021

For Abortion "I took the first pill at 11am then at 11am today, I inserted the 4 tablets in the vagina. I felt mild period pain-type symptoms, but it wasn’t as bad as everything I read on here. I was so scared and absolutely worried. I bought heat pads and even got some tramadol in case the pain was that bad. I started bleeding after the tablets, then at 3pm, I inserted the two more tablets. I’m still bleeding now and a bit off, belly ache but nothing bad at all. Please do not read the horrible stories on this, scroll past them because not everyone is the same, and we are all different. I was 5 weeks. Put a film on or a Netflix series, and honestly, you will be fine. Stay strong, don’t stress about it. You can do this."

10 / 10
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  • Man...
  • March 14, 2021

For Abortion "I was 2 weeks and 5 days when I found out I was pregnant. These reviews freaked me out, it was insane. I was so scared to even take the pills, but I had to. I went to see a doctor and was told to take the drugs. I got to the pharmacy with a prescription from the doctor, took the first pill at 2:24 pm, and the four pills under my tongue 24 hrs later. I took a pain reliever 30 mins before the misoprostol, 35 mins later, there was cramping and discomfort, but it wasn’t bad at all because my period cramps were similar. Then I started bleeding almost immediately after the drugs had dissolved completely. Few blood clots were passed - not the size of a lemon or the size of a golf ball, just small blood clots. An hour later, it felt like something wanted to just gush out of me, that was when I saw the sac and more blood clots. After that, everything was okay, cramps have reduced but still bleeding. Don’t worry, ladies, just prepare your minds, and you’ll be fine ❤️"

9 / 10
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  • Anonymous
  • June 16, 2020

For Abortion "I definitely worked myself up a lot before going through this experience. Long story short, I caught my pregnancy really early to where there was no baby or gestational sac formed yet. So the process was VERY easy for me physically. I had very little cramping for 10 mins after the pills dissolved. And about 30 mins to an hour, I was bleeding with a lot of clots. As each day goes on, the bleeding gets better, well for me at least. If you’re thinking about doing this, I would recommend! Everyone is different, keep that in mind, but mind over matter. This was a BIG lesson learned, and I will definitely not let myself go through this again. Good luck, ladies!"

10 / 10
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  • Li_...
  • June 7, 2021

For Abortion "I was 8 weeks pregnant. I took the first pill at the doctor's office at 2 pm on a Friday. I didn't feel anything at all for that one. I took the other four in my cheeks the next day at 9 pm and by 9:30, they were mostly dissolved, but I washed it down with water. The only pain medication I took was ibuprofen 30 minutes before. As soon as it dissolved, I noticed a little bit of cramping for like 20 minutes and I also threw up my meal. But that was the only time I threw up, I didn't feel any nausea. My cramping started to get worse for the next three hours. I was sitting on the toilet for like 40 minutes with diarrhea and cramping with only a bit of blood. By 12:00 am, I was bleeding more and passed four clots. After that, my cramping had stopped, and then I was just bleeding like a normal period. Just have some water, relax, and a heating pad, and you'll be fine! Don't let these bad stories scare you away."

10 / 10
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  • Mhi...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • September 27, 2020

For Abortion "I am 5 weeks pregnant. I took the first drug, mifepristone, as directed and took the second one 38 hours inserting it into my vagina. I had a light cramp the night, and the next morning I had very light bleeding. But as the days pass, the blood becomes thick and flows normally like I am menstruating, but no clots and minor cramps. Hope it's working."

10 / 10
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  • AKG...
  • May 20, 2021

For Abortion "I am writing this now one week post-abortion. I took the first tablet on Tuesday at 11:30 am. I had a phone consultation and was deemed safe to have the procedure at home. The tablets were sent through the post. After the first tablet, I went to bed and felt fine. The following day at 12:30, I took four more tablets vaginally. I was advised to lie down for 30 minutes to make sure the tablets didn’t come out. As I sat up, I started bleeding, having light cramping. I took ibuprofen 15 minutes before the tablets and was fine. At 13:18, I passed the sac. The bleeding continued to be heavy with more clots for about two hours, not heavier than a heavy period and no more pain than a heavy period. I went about my day as normal, just took it easy, and tried to stay as calm as possible. I was advised to take the medicine vaginally as you have fewer side effects. Since then, I have stopped bleeding after one week. Stay calm and don’t believe everything you read on the internet. You’ve got this!"

10 / 10
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  • ac1...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • June 21, 2021

For Abortion "Just wanted to share my experience for those who may be worried. I had worked myself up massively before starting this process after things I had read online. I was around 8 weeks pregnant. I took the first tablet on Friday and was quite sick on Saturday during the day. On Sunday, I went to the hospital and had the 4 tablets inserted vaginally, and started bleeding around an hour after this. I was also provided with an antibiotic to be inserted. I felt slight cramps, nothing worse than a period, and I had passed the pregnancy after around 3 hours. I had some larger blood clots but nothing too extreme and was in and out of the toilet for a few hours. I left the hospital at 5 the same day and now have only slight bleeding the next day. Please don’t overly worry and read the bad things online, as my experience was nothing like the horror stories! Good luck to everyone going through this, you can do it!"

10 / 10
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  • ac1...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • June 21, 2021

For Abortion "Just wanted to share my experience for those who may be worried. I had worked myself up massively before starting this process after things I had read online. I was around 8 weeks pregnant. I took the first tablet on Friday and was quite sick on Saturday during the day. On Sunday, I went to the hospital and had the 4 tablets inserted vaginally, and started bleeding around an hour after this. I was also provided with an antibiotic to be inserted. I felt slight cramps, nothing worse than a period, and I had passed the pregnancy after around 3 hours. I had some larger blood clots but nothing too extreme and was in and out of the toilet for a few hours. I left the hospital at 5 the same day and now have only slight bleeding the next day. Please don’t overly worry and read the bad things online, as my experience was nothing like the horror stories! Good luck to everyone going through this, you can do it!"

10 / 10
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  • Liv...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • May 29, 2020

"Listen, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE. Don’t listen to all these horrifying comments. I know most of these are clearly women having honest horrible experiences, but EVERY WOMAN IS DIFFERENT! I read these comments and they literally scared me so much that I cried inserting them vaginally because I was so scared and mortified! I am 5 weeks pregnant and had a “missed miscarriage”. I inserted the pills last night before I went to bed and I had very, very light cramping, like I just had a light period. The next morning I woke up bleeding. I was fine all morning, no cramping or anything. Around 11 am I went to the bathroom and passed 2 grape-sized clots and now I’m just bleeding, no cramps. I just pray everything has passed and there is no need for any other intervention. I also pray any of you out there going through this have the same outcome I did. Good luck, ladies!"

10 / 10
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  • Raa...
  • August 19, 2020

For Abortion "It is my first abortion and I am 9 weeks and I have a 3-year-old baby girl. I took the first tablet in the clinic at 1 pm and the same night took 2 antibiotics. I felt nothing. The next night I took 1 Brufen, and 1 hour later took 4 small tablets vaginally. 4 hours later, I felt normal abdominal pain and cramps, totally bearable. I went to the washroom 3 times and passed 3 small clots and a lot of blood. I used a heating pad 2 times. In the morning, I felt very light and active. Nothing to worry about, it's a very simple process. Thanks."

10 / 10
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  • May...
  • February 4, 2021

For Abortion "I was 8 weeks pregnant. In the medical center, they gave me the first pill and told me that I could expect nausea and bleeding, however, I didn't have any symptoms. I came back 48 hours later, and they inserted 2 pills into my vagina and 1 in my anus for pain relief, instructing me to lie in bed for 2 hours. After 4 hours with no changes, they gave me 1 more pill to dissolve under my tongue. Around an hour later, I went to the bathroom and something gushed out of me with a little blood. I went for an ultrasound, and they confirmed the abortion was successful. I experienced bleeding for about a week afterward, similar to a normal period. I didn't have any pain or cramping, which was surprising to me, as my periods are usually more painful. It seems that everyone's experience can vary. Wishing you good luck."

10 / 10
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  • Nat...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • August 19, 2020

For Abortion "I was 6 weeks 2 days pregnant, and this was my first abortion. I took mifepristone first, which only caused some nausea and tiredness. The next day, I inserted vaginally 800mg of misoprostol. I started feeling light cramping and bleeding 40 minutes after inserting the pills vaginally, the cramping did increase a bit but nothing crazy! About 1 hour and 30 minutes later, I passed the sac and a gush of blood just came out. It took me by surprise because I was expecting some intense cramping before the sac would come out, but this wasn’t the case. I freaked out when I saw all the blood and the sac. It took me about an hour to calm down, but my whole experience wasn’t horrible. I experienced menstrual-like cramps/bleeding throughout the day and lower back pain, also lots of little blood clots. I’ve learned my lesson and will not allow this to happen to me again."

10 / 10
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  • Cam...
  • October 13, 2020

For Abortion "Found out I was pregnant soon after finding out I was hit with horrendous morning sickness which was exacerbated by reading the reviews. I was being sick up to 5 times a day, and all I could think about was how sick I would feel when taking these pills! I took the first tablet a day before, this just made me feel sicker. 26 hours later, I took the 4 Misoprostol with two 15mg codeine. As soon as I started feeling cramps, I took another 2 codeine, but they started coming fast and sharp. After about 30 mins, I had to sit on the toilet and had some diarrhoea, and there was bleeding. I was also sick at the same time (not pleasant). I had about 40 mins of sharp pains but bearable, they stopped within the hour, and I passed some clots. I closed my eyes every time I flushed so I never saw anything. A day later, I'm having a regular period and have my appetite back, and have gotten back to my daily life! I will never get into this situation again. For me, it was not as bad as what people make it. Good luck!"

10 / 10
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