QuestionQUESTION: hi,
It was 6months ago, I figured out I was pregnant 2 months late since I thought my period was just delayed as it sometimes does.. after a month I found cytotec in store and use it. I was so afraid to do it again and its my first time so I stop using it. After a month I decided to pursue it due to financial problems, but I wasn't aware that it would be unsafe to use cytotec for more than 9 weeks old. I took it vaginally and orally (maybe 6 sets, I actually can't remember)
After a lot of struggles (I even saw it coming out together with its cord and lot more compact blood), 3 weeks continuous bleeding and breast enlargement, I think it went well because I have my normal menstrual cycle again after a month.
Now, I found myself 2months pregnant again and wanted to continue pregnancy. But I want to know if previous abortion would take an effect on it. I didn't went on a doctor's assistance after the abortion so I'm not sure if my uterus was clean out. And by the way, I have a friend who went on several abortions in a year through cytotec and never went on a doctor. When she decided to get pregnant again, the child became abnormal. I want to know if there is a possibility that it could happen to me.
Thank you
ANSWER: Hello, Michelle,
You're welcome.
Unless you have some kind of infection, it seems unlikely that any leftover tissue from the previous abortion would cause any problems with this baby. No one really knows what the consequences of a pill abortion would be on future children. But I have seen no studies or other evidence that a pill abortion will cause abnormalities with a future pregnancy. Worrying about whether or not our babies will be OK is part of being pregnant. Just about every pregnant mother worries about this. We can't see our babies, so we worry.
I had a situation that may shed some light on yours. I was pregnant with a child who died. But before that child died, I conceived another child. This is more common than you might think, and I suspect in many cases, the evidence for this is destroyed because a doctor will do a D&C and the result will be that the new baby is also taken. Because I had conceived another child, I didn't have a miscarriage. Instead, my body simply took care of the remains of the first child. There were no medical consequences whatsoever. Most likely if you have any retained tissue, your body will also take care of it.
As for your friend, was her child born very early? That can make a difference. How soon after the last abortion was the child conceived? There are a lot of reasons why a child will be abnormal. What kind of problem does the child have? I'm not sure I can give you a definite answer that her abortions caused the problem. I do know that the more abortions a woman has, the more damage she has to her body.
The important thing is that you should avoid doing any more damage to your body than has already been done. Don't do anything to harm this child or yourself. If your child has a problem that you have difficulty with, you can choose adoption. There are people who want to adopt children with disabilities. The odds are in your favor that your baby will be OK.
Please let me know what happens. Take care of yourself and your baby.
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QUESTION: hi Pat, thank you for answering my inquiry. But just to follow up- I don't know if I have some sort of infection. I didn't actually expect that I would be pregnant again, so I haven't went to a doctor yet. I think I really need to pray hard that my baby would be fine. I'll visit a doctor soon. But, do you think I had a successful abortion through cytotec? I thought its not effective for 9-week-older babies. Maybe its because older than 9 weeks would be harder to flush out, is that right?? So I was thinking that even if I finished the process, I still have leftover tissues. Can I have infections because of it? even though I have my normal menstrual cycle after?
Thank you for sharing, that was a relief somehow thinking my body could do the same thing. It can clean out the leftover tissues. But in my case, I have 6 months interval before I got pregnant, I'm worried that because of the abortion without medical assistance, I probably got myself an infection.
My friend's last abortion was 3 or 4 months ago before she got conceived the child. I think she got 3 times abortion that year. Her son got down syndrome and congenital heart disease. Delivery was normal though, I mean its not too early.
I would really take care of my child no matter what. Hopefully everything would be fine. I'll keep you updated. Thank you so much.
AnswerHi, Michelle,
You're welcome.
I think praying for your baby is a very good idea. Unless you are a lot more pregnant than you were before, it seems likely that this is not the same baby. It is rare for a pill abortion to work at 9 weeks.
If you have an infection, it should be possible to determine that. You would have an elevated white blood cell count. A doctor can check your blood. There are some infections, as I understand it, that don't cause an elevated count, so you need to ask your doctor about this.
Down Syndrome is not known to be caused by abortion. It is a congenital abnormality, which is to say, it's genetic. It is the result of an extra chromosome. There are two kinds. Trisomy 21 is when the person has an extra chromosome 21 throughout the body. Mosaicism is when the person has the extra chromosome in just some cells but not all. If multiple pill abortions cause the 21st chromosome to divide into two, nobody knows about it at this point. Congenital heart defects are common in people with Down Syndrome. Usually, they can do an operation and correct the problem.
There are a lot of resources available to parents who have children with Down Syndrome. She should look for early intervention programs. These will help the baby develop the muscles and strength. One characteristic of Down Syndrome is that the muscles are weak and relaxed. Physical and occupational therapy helps develop the muscles and the mind. Some children with Down Syndrome will need speech therapy, primarily because it is common for the child to have a thicker tongue. Most of the early programs do not try to work on intellectual development, unfortunately, but I have some information on what can be done to help. If your friend would like to write to me, she should. I can be of significant help.
Most people think Down Syndrome causes mental retardation. While it may be true that there is a certain amount in most cases, it is not inevitable that the person will be significantly mentally retarded. Instead, the real problem is that babies with Down Syndrome aren't curious or responsive like most children, so mothers assume they are retarded, and there is less interaction. If the baby gets at least as much stimulation as a "normal" baby, significant mental development is possible. I know one young man who developed unusual abilities with language. He had the language development of a 5 year old when he was 3 1/2. He had a much larger vocabulary than usual, and was able to have philosophical discussions at that age. Unfortunately, the school system did not develop this talent, so he did not progress as he should have. In spite of that, he now has an interest in foreign languages, and has shown some aptitude in this area, if he could receive education (which he probably won't, under the circumstances.)
Please encourage your friend to write to me. I will see if I can learn anything about the possibility that pill abortions can cause Down Syndrome, but I really don't think anybody knows at this point.
Take care, and keep in touch and let me know how your baby is doing.
