Mifepristone restrictions block treatment for fibroids and endometriosis

Mifepristone, approved for abortion in the U.S. for more than 25 years, has also been shown to shrink uterine fibroids by up to 50 percent and reduce pain and bleeding from endometriosis. Physicians in China and India already prescribe it for those conditions. In the U.S., women cannot get it for the same purpose.

Dr. Abby Liberty, an OB-GYN and researcher at Oregon Health and Science University, says the drug and a similar one, ulipristal, work by blocking progesterone, which stops the signal for fibroids to grow. She says political framing of the drugs has halted progress in women's health care.

Anti-abortion groups have campaigned against mifepristone for decades. The Trump administration launched a review of the drug this year. Louisiana classified it as a controlled substance, and Louisiana, Texas, and Florida are suing to restrict access.

Some women have turned to telemedicine. Danielle Shoback, who suffered from endometriosis for 20 years, obtained mifepristone through a site run by Dutch physician Dr. Rebecca Gomperts and took it for nearly two years until she could get surgery. She said it changed her life.