Pain has been recognized to be the most common and predictable side effect of medication
abortion, causing significant distress associated with the process. Yet there is little known
about the appropriate management of pain during this process, with no current evidence based
recommendations for optimal analgesic regimens during the first trimester.
The goal of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of oral methadone for pain control during
medication abortion. The current medication regimen used to perform medication abortion is a
dose of mifepristone (antiprogesterone) orally, followed by a dose of misoprostol
(prostaglandin analogue) 24 to 72 hours later. Patients are prescribed a standard dose of
ibuprofen 600-800mg tabs for pain control during the process. The investigators will conduct
a non-randomized, pilot study with 25 patients evaluated at the Boston Medical Center family
planning clinic at 10 weeks of gestation or less for medication abortion.