Multi Mifepristone in 2026!

Women on Waves together with Leiden University Medical Center started the Women&More study.  In this study, researchers aim to demonstrate that mifepristone 50 mg is an effective and safe contraceptive option.

After more than 10 years of dedicated work, we are thrilled to share a major milestone from Women on Waves.

A historic step for new contraceptive research

On March 31, 2025, Leiden University Medical Center officially received Medical Ethics Committee approval to start the Women&More study. This moment is the result of years of fundraising, research design, medication development, and building strong partnerships and research teams.

The Women&More study

The study explores whether mifepristone 50 mg, taken once a week, can be a safe, effective, hormone-free contraceptive.

  • 14 medical centers across the Netherlands are participating
  • By the end of 2025, over 400 people had already joined, with a growing waiting list,
  • Participants take one tablet per week for one year as their only form of contraception

Unlike common contraceptives—such as the pill, patch, ring, injection, hormonal IUD, or implant—mifepristone contains no estrogen or progestogen, which means it is expected to cause fewer side effects.

The study will assess whether:

  • The risk of pregnancy is very low
  • The medication is safe, with no serious health risks
  • It causes fewer side effects than hormonal contraceptives
  • People find one pill per week easy and acceptable to use

Mifepristone is also an effective morning-after pill, usable up to 120 hours after unprotected sex. Combining weekly use with emergency contraception could make one pill, used on demand, possible in the future.

If the results are positive, the ultimate goal is to register mifepristone 50 mg as an official contraceptive, expanding choice and access to hormone-free birth control worldwide.

Interested in participating? Visit: www.womenandmore.org

This study is not funded by pharmaceutical companies—it is made possible entirely through donations. You can support the study by donating here

We are deeply grateful to our funders and to our colleagues at LUMC and the participating medical centers across the Netherlands.

The study was mentioned in media all over the Netherlands: 

Medical abortion by family doctors: a major victory

From January 1, 2025, family doctors in the Netherlands are finally allowed to provide abortion pills. In September 2025, we began referring abortion seekers to family doctors and other new serv. With our goal achieved, we closed the Women on Waves abortion clinic

This milestone follows years of advocacy. Women on Waves began campaigning for medical abortion by family doctors and provided the very first training in 2015.

Abortion care in the Netherlands

Amsterdam abortion clinic

In 2025, Women on Waves provided 153 abortion services, including 67 for undocumented people—those without insurance or a civil registration number. Because the Dutch government does not finance abortion care for this group, Women on Waves provided these services free of charge.

Of all the people who completed follow-up surveys, all reported high satisfaction.

"The doctor I spoke to was incredibly helpful, I am infinitely grateful for her help, it came at a time that I really needed it and she was extremely understanding and non judgmental. I am very thankful to her and everybody in the organisation because the work they do is so important"

"Thank you for everything, you are awesome!"

"Felt secure and safe with my practitioner. Non judgemental, clear instructions"

"I Am super grateful for the help i recieved although its scary to under go this but the is nothing to worry about. Every thing went perfect and and am more happy"

Supporting Medical Abortion in Suriname

Abortion is legally prohibited in Suriname. More than 50 years after independence from the Netherlands, outdated colonial laws remain in force. Although abortion is banned in all circumstances, it is tolerated in practice. As everywhere in the world, women in Suriname need access to abortion care, yet many are forced to pay large sums for services that are often of poor quality and unsafe. Women on Waves' boardmember Dr Gunilla Kleiverda has brought attention to this issue in Suriname and has begun training general practitioners to provide safer care. Additional training opportunities for general practitioners in Paramaribo are currently being explored. In parallel, the SVAS (Collaboration for Safe Abortion Suriname) has been established to advocate for the removal of abortion from the penal code and to support the training of general practitioners in safe abortion care.

Supporting telemedical abortion in the USA

Women on Waves continues to support Aid Access, a telemedical abortion service in the United States.

  • In 2025, Aid Access facilitated nearly 165,000 abortion services—a 40% increase compared to 2024
  • Since June 2023, Aid Access has partnered with U.S. abortion providers operating under shield laws, allowing care in all U.S. states
  • 30–35% of patients could not afford the $150 fee and received partial or full financial support

"This program is so important to women’s health. I’m grateful there is still access to this medication, I deeply believe it should be available to all women, in all states. I cannot carry another healthy pregnancy as I have too much damage to my uterus, nor can I be on birth control, and the fear I had when that test was positive was scary. This process potentially saved my life."

"Everything was so helpful, I think for me, it wasn’t that it wasn’t trustworthy. It was more like I was surprised how “ easy” it was. I was so scared, and so nervous and had no one to go and no where to turn. I was shocked it was this simple. I think that’s the hard to believe part. Aid access made it almost hard to believe you can get help almost stress free. I’m eternally grateful."

"Over all this is a life saver. I’m not stable to have a child and this is discreet and safe to all who need assistance and don’t know where to find or who to go too.This is a self problem solver with nothing to worry about. I live in a state where abortions are banned and this company delivers and will take care of the women who need this resource and support when they don’t know who to turn too.."

"I was very satisfied with my experience. I have always been against abortion. I have 3 children. I had a one night stand and got pregnant. I knew that I could not financially take care of another child by myself so I had to make the hard decision to not have the baby. I do have some regrets but I know in my heart I made the right choice. The process was very easy and the instructions were very informative."

Scientific impact

In 2025, Women on Waves collaborated with universities across the United States, resulting in eight peer-reviewed scientific publications in leading journals, including JAMA, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Contraception, and the American Journal of Public Health. These studies document the safety, accessibility, and growing demand for telehealth abortion services worldwide.

  1. Willerford AK, Godfrey EM, Myers C, Gomperts R, Thayer EK, Fiastro A. Distance to Care and Telehealth Abortion Demand After Dobbs. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Oct 1;8(10):e2538212. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.38212.
  2. Aiken ARA, Scott JG, Gomperts R. Provision of Abortion Medications Using Online Asynchronous Telemedicine Under Shield Laws in the US. 2025 Aug 11:e2511420. doi: 10.1001/jama.2025.11420.
  3. Fiastro AE, Brown E, Gomperts R, Godfrey EM Demand for Medication Abortion Through Telehealth Before and After the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court Decision in States Where Abortion Is Legal. Womens Health Issues. 2025 Aug 1:S1049-3867(25)00081-7. doi: 10.1016/j.whi.2025.06.003.
  4. Anna Fiastro, Nikeeta Shah, Rebecca Gomperts, Jessica Gipson, Emily Godfrey, Communication with Patients Using Asynchronous Telehealth Medication Abortion Services, Contraception. 2025 Jul 9:111014. doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2025.111014.
  5. Dana M Johnson, Sruthi Ramaswamy, Rebecca Gomperts, Acceptability of misoprostol-only medication abortion dispensed by mail-order or retail pharmacy: a qualitative study based on in-depth interviews in the United States, Sex Reprod Health Matters . 2025 Jun 20:1-26. doi: 10.1080/26410397.2025.2522567.
  6. Mary Achieng OumaAnita Alaze Kenneth Juma Hazal Atay, Rebecca Gomperts, Céline Miani , Telehealth abortion services via Women on Web in Kenya (2013-2019): a descriptive analysis of the characteristics and motivations of the care seekers, Sex Reprod Health Matters 2025 Dec;33(1):2500828. doi: 10.1080/26410397.2025.2500828.Epub 2025 Jun 4.
  7. Anna E Fiastro, Elissa Brown, Peyton Smith, Erin K Thayer, Rebecca Gomperts, Emily M Godfrey, Telehealth Medication Abortion: Comparing Advance-Provision Patients With Pregnant Patients, Obstet Gynecol. 2025 May 1;145(5):533-540. doi: 1097/AOG.0000000000005886. 
  8. Emily M Godfrey, Anna E Fiastro, Erin K Thayer, Rebecca Gomperts, Sophia M Orlando, Caitlin K Myers, No-Test Telehealth Medication Abortion Services Provided by US-Based Clinicians in 21 States and the District of Columbia, 2020‒2022, Am J Public Health. 2025 Feb;115(2):221-231.doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2024.307892.

Visibility and recognition

Looking ahead: 2026

In 2026, we will continue the Women&More study on weekly and on-demand use of mifepristone 50 mg. The results will support an application for market authorization, bringing us closer to making mifepristone available as an over-the-counter, on-demand contraceptive.

Women on Waves will also coninue to support telemedical abortion in the USA through Aid Access

Additional funding is still needed.
Your support helps make safe, accessible abortion and contraception a reality for people everywhere. You can donate here

Thank you for standing with us.