According to a recent report the so-called abortion pill mifepristone, also known as RU-486, seems to shrink fibroid tumours in women, and may allow them to avoid hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus or the womb) or at least have easier surgery easier.
It was found that after 6 months of treatment, the 19 women who received the 5 mg dose experienced a similar improvement in both symptoms and the size of their fibroids as compared to the 20 women who received a 10 mg dose. Women given the lower dose reported fewer hot flashes, a noxious side effect of treatment with mifepristone. Both the 5 mg and the 10 mg doses succeeded in decreasing the size of patients' uterus by one-half, a sign that the treatment had a significant impact on the fibroids. These findings show that low doses of mifepristone can provide all the benefits of the treatment, but with lower side effects. Low doses of mifepristone could increase the safety of a woman's hysterectomy by reducing the size of her fibroids before the procedure, and lowering the risk of complications. By shrinking symptomatic fibroids until menopause occurs, mifepristone could help some women avoid the need for hysterectomy altogether.
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