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Mifepristone & Early Pregnancy: Understanding Potential Effects and Next Steps


Question
QUESTION: My wife is 28. she had her last period on 3rd April.As no period in may, so she took 200mcg mifepristone (cipla )on 19th June at 10 pm.

After taking mifepristone she felt very guilty and she was not ok. her symptoms are: drowsiness, dizziness, body ache, tiredness, stomach ache, vomit.

Then she went to doctor and check up for pregnancy. her 1st preg test on 20th June, was +ve. She has 12 weeks pregnancy.

she hasn't taken 400mcg misoprostol after that.Now after discussing with doctor she is ready to continue with baby. But she also worries about the side effects of the mifepristone on baby, as one of the doctor we discussed told us that the baby may be abnormal.

plz advice whether she should continue with baby or opt for abortion.

ANSWER: Hello, Amit,

I am very happy you came to me.

Your wife was far enough along so that the Mifepristone won't have harmed her baby. Her baby is completely formed. In fact, her baby was completely formed by 8 weeks. Mifepristone works by stopping a mother's progesterone. But by about 7 weeks from a woman's last menstrual period, the baby starts to make his own progesterone, so being deprived of the mother's progesterone is no longer harmful.

The vomiting is also a good sign, because your wife's body is getting rid of the medication. It will take her a little while to recover. Drowsiness and tiredness are probably due to her body being somewhat toxic, and eventually, her body will clear all of that out.

Doctors have a tendency to be very cautious about saying a baby is normal. Abortion is such an easy way out for them. If a woman carries her baby, and there is a problem, the doctor doesn't want to get blamed. This is a problem for many doctors.

Nobody can guarantee that your baby doesn't have other problems. We mothers worry about this while we are pregnant because we can't see our baby and know he is OK. But if your baby does have any problems, it will almost certainly NOT be because of the Mifepristone.

I will be here any time you need to talk or if you have any questions. Please keep in touch and tell me how they are doing. Please send me a picture! Take care of your precious family.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank a lot doctor for replying.

Doctor had sonography of my wife on 20th June 2012. at that time all were ok.

But I want to know is there another way(any other test required) for the confirmation of any side effects on baby in future.

plz advice.

ANSWER: Hello, Amit,

Please know that I am not a doctor. I am a medical researcher.

As far as I know, there isn't any other widely used test to determine if a baby is all right. When your baby is born, you will observe him or her, or the doctor will, and should be able to tell if anything should be checked. Try not to worry. I don't see any significant problem in your wife's case. If you still do not feel reassured, please ask the doctor whatever questions you have. He can examine and test your wife, but nobody can do that over the internet. So he has a lot more information than I or anyone else has. So please try to relax and enjoy your wife and your baby. You will be able to feel your baby kick soon. If your wife is slender, expect to start feeling kicking around 14 weeks. If she is not so slender, it will take awhile longer. You can play games with your baby when you start feeling the kicking. For example, you can push on your baby's foot through your wife's skin, and the baby will probably withdraw his leg and then put it someplace else. Talk to your baby. He will be able to hear your voice, and will get to know you. Your wife should do these things, too. These things will help your baby develop.

Take good care of your family.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hell Sir,

Can you tell me what tests are to be performed in triple marker test?
My wife has gone through the same and they only taken her blood.

Is this ok or any other test has to be perform.

Please guide me.

Answer
Hello, Amit,

Please know that I am a woman.

The only thing they do with the triple marker test is draw blood. I imagine the reason they wanted to do it is to see if there was any damage to your baby from the pills your wife took. As I already told you, I would expect damage to be minimal. The triple marker test would test for things like alpha fetal protein. This would indicate whether or not your baby has a cleft palate or a spinal defect. The pills wouldn't cause either. They are caused by a deficiency of Vitamin B12, primarily. Since your baby was already completely formed by the time your wife took the pills, they wouldn't have caused these problems. I wonder if they are going to try to frighten you into letting your wife have an abortion. Don't let them do that. It would be much more dangerous for your wife than an earlier abortion would be, and it could also harm your future children, perhaps severely. The triple marker test also measures hCG. However, the range of normal is very large, so it is not something I tend to worry about if it is low, as long as it is in the range.

I would recommend that you don't let them do any more tests, because you don't need to be frightened. Doctors who go crazy doing tests are just trying to intimidate patients, and that's the last thing you need. So please tell them not to do any more tests. Tell them you have decided to protect your baby, and there is no test they can run that will change your mind. Be firm with them. A small number of babies are born with various problems, that occur naturally. You deal with those once the baby is born. You don't go crazy doing tests, because there is really no good way to fix most of the problems before birth anyway, nor is it necessary. They have been doing surgery while the baby is still in the womb for such serious conditions as spina bifida, but normally the risk of doing this is quite high, so if they think they can safely wait until the baby is born, they do. I also heard of a case where a baby had a huge tumor on her lip, and they removed that, but such a thing would be seen with ultrasound. If you find it reassuring, let them do ultrasound on your wife. But remember, she and you have to live with the consequences of your decisions. The doctors do not. I don't have much use for doctors who try to bully people.

Try not to worry about it. If the doctors come back and say, well, there is an abnormality, you should go find another doctor and get a second opinion. Go to a doctor who doesn't believe in abortion. There are doctors who will work with you, and treat your wife and your child as patients, and work to bring them through in a healthy condition. The doctor you go to then can tell you what a good way is to handle any situation, and can repeat the tests and see if there is really a problem, or the other doctor is lying to you. If the doctor your wife is seeing now was involved in giving her the pills, you should have nothing further to do with him. I am absolutely serious about this. Such a doctor is not operating ethically, and should not be practicing medicine.

Please take care of your wife and your baby, and keep in touch. I hope this helps.