To have a medicated abortion you need to take three days of medication, the last day of which is misoprostol. This medication is used to promote uterine contractions, which cause the opening of the uterus to widen and allow the sac to be expelled. Most patients will expel the sac within 4-6 hours after taking this last day of medication, with a few cases taking 8-10 hours. However, if the sac is not expelled for a long time after taking the pill or if significant bleeding occurs before the sac is expelled, an emergency evacuation procedure is required. This is because either bleeding or failed medical abortion can lead to poor contraction of the uterus and result in undesirable complications. It is important to carefully examine the gestational sac after it has been expelled to see if it is intact, preferably with an ultrasound.