QuestionHello. So I've had major issues with my medical abortion, and the worst thing about it is, my doctor has been so frustrating and short with me, when all i want to know is what is going on with my own body.
I had a medical abortion Dec 4th 2010 after I was 4 weeks pregnant. I bled heavily and passed a clot the size of a small orange a few hours after the pills. Then the blood gradually slowed with the next week, eventually turning brown and only causing me to wear a thong pantiliner. Dec 22 I had my follow up 2 weeks and 4 days after. I also had unprotected sex the morning of but had started my birth control Lo Estrin 24 on Dec 13th so figured I'd be okay. The doctor did an ultrasound and claimed everything looked fine and I had passed the sac. Dec 27th I started to bleed so heavily it was coming through my pants, soaking through pads ever hour or so and passing clots the size of quarter, so I went to ER. My blood heboglobin was fine, no fever, a little weird smelling blood, not pleasant, but I don't remember my blood ever smelling good? They said I was not pregnant, had a 400 hcg and that it looked like a little blood or tissue was still inside my uterus, and I could either D & C or medical again. I chose neither went home and waited it out. They gave me pills to stop the bleeding/contract my uterus rectally anyway before I left. Bleeding began to end again, I finished my BC Jan 5 with light bleeding since the Er, no pain hardly any clots. I started bleeding again with some cramps and stringy clots now. Feeling just like how I do with my period. I took a pregnancy test today Jan 7 and it says positive, 1 month and 3 days after abortion. My question is, am I still pregnant even after they said i wasn't pregnant? Am I on my period now that my BC is finished or is it old pregnancy tissue and blood? Could it be I am still passing tissue and that is why the test says positive, even though this much time has passed? I am so confused. I would like to avoid a D&C as much as possible. I went for my follow up, the Er did an ultrasound and said I wasn't pregnant, why would I need a D & C? I believe in letting your body do as many things naturally as possible, but if you believe its necessary maybe I should go ahead with D & C.
Thank you for your time. I hope I wasn't too confusing. This has all been the most traumatic experience, and I wouldn't wish it upon anyone.
AnswerHello, Lindsey,
Yikes! You have really been through a lot! I don't find it surprising that your doctor was unsympathetic, especially if he supplied the pills, because abortionists don't like to admit they made any mistakes. There is too much legal liability. Other doctors tend to be short with women who have had abortions because they don't approve. I find that your message is easy to follow.
To begin with, the pills used in a medical abortion are actually quite toxic to a pregnant woman. They're not intended to be used for abortion. In fact, the manufacturer of Cytotec specifically says a pregnant woman should not take it. This is because it can kill her.
If you had a sac the size of a small orange, it sounds like you were probably counting your pregnancy from the probable date of conception. Would that be correct?
These pills do two very dangerous things to a woman. They stop the hormone that controls a woman's bleeding, and they also stop a woman's immune system. Taking birth control on top of this can aggravate the situation. Continuous bleeding, heavy bleeding, and repeat bleeding at unexpected times are all pretty much par for the course. These pills wreak havoc with a woman's system. The biggest concern I have is that if you bleed heavily too much, it will weaken your body further, and some women actually bleed to death. To help prevent that, I recommend that you get some cayenne (red hot peppers) into your body on a regular basis until the bleeding has stopped completely. You can get it as a supplement, or you can get it in spicy food.
Ultrasounds aren't totally reliable. That said, you would probably observe some symptoms if you are still pregnant. It takes awhile for the hormones to dissipate, and an hCG of 400 isn't very high. However, it can vary widely. On the other hand, yuou are unlikely to see a positive test from the sex you had more recently, though it would start to show up in just a few days. If you don't want to get pregnant again, you need to stop having sex altogether. Protection really doesn't work, either, and birth control is usually not that reliable unless the couple is married. That's what the studies show, anyway. And continuing to mess with your hormones like that isn't desirable; it's asking for trouble. When a man is willing to take advantage of a woman's body and subject her to the kinds of risks you are going through, a woman really deserves someone better. If you are married, by far the most reliable thing you can do is use fertility awareness to time intercourse. Let me know if you want this information. If you do happen to get pregnant and you are married, by far the best thing to do is have the baby, for safety reasons if nothing else. You can get help with whatever problems you are facing regardless, which I talk about in a little bit. Have a talk with your partner if you are not married, and see if he is willing to respect you and your body. He has a responsibility to protect you from what is happening to you.
I agree with you that you should let your body do as many things naturally as possible. That's one major reason why I think abortion is a very bad idea. It is really hard on a woman's body no matter how it is done. I'm also no fan of D&C, because that is also quite invasive. But that's standard when women don't have a textbook experience. They do it partly to avoid legal liability. That way, they can say they tried everything. If you aren't bleeding profusely, if taking cayenne helps control the bleeding, you should just watch. If you start to experience significant pain, get help. The stringy clots are somewhat unusual as far as I know, and you really should find out why you are having them.
You should find a decent doctor and let him work with you. People can't really help you with your personal body issues over the internet very well. You would need a D&C if you still have retained tissue, and there is a possibility of infection. One of the leading causes of infection is internal exams, and I imagine you have had some. Some infections in women who have had a pill abortion don't produce fever, because the pills suppress the immune system. It doesn't sound like you have that problem at this point because it has been long enough, but just to be on the safe side, have the doctor check you for Clostridium sordellii, particularly if you took any pills vaginally. If you have this common bacterium (that doesn't usually pose a problem), they need to start aggressive life-saving treatment immediately, because once symptoms start, it can kill a woman within hours.
There are organizations all over the United States that help women in your position, and they usually have doctors affiliated with them. These doctors are often knowledgeable about what can go wrong from an abortion, so they should be able to help you. To find an organization near you, go to this web site:
http://www.optionline.org/
The link to the lists is on the right, and not real obvious.
Also, you have indicated that your experience has been very traumatic for you. This is also dangerous, because women often react very poorly to abortion. It greatly increases the chance a woman will harm herself. In addition to being able to get counseling for this at the local organization, I will be here for you, and we can talk about whatever is on your mind. Emotional healing from abortion is possible. It's not easy, and it takes awhile, but it can be done.
Please take care of yourself and don't take any more chances. Let me know how things go.
