Difference Between Emergency Contraception and Abortion Pills

Emergency contraception prevents pregnancy. It works by stopping an egg from being released from the ovary and by stopping an egg from being fertilized, or reached by sperm. Emergency contraception also stops a fertilized egg from attaching, or implanting, itself to the wall of the uterus (or womb). The so-called "abortion pills" (Mifeprex (mifepristone) also called RU-486) work after a woman becomes pregnant - after a fertilized egg attaches to the wall of the uterus. These pills cause the uterus to expel the egg, ending the pregnancy.