Expert: Pat G - 10/25/2009

Question
I AM 26YRS OLD I HAVE 4 BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN BUT SINCE MY LAST CHILD ALL WITH THE SAME MAN. DO TO MANY TIMES WHERE LETS JUST SAY PROTECTION WASN'T ALWAYS USED, BECAUSE OF MY CARELESS ACTIONS WE FOUND OURSELVES IN AN ABORTION CLINIC ABOUT 4 TIMES. WELL SINCE MY LAST VISIT TO THE CLINIC WHICH WAS A FEW YEARS BACK. I NOTICED I KNOW HAVE 2 PERIODS A MONTH. ONE IN THE BEGINNING AND THEN ONE AT THE END OF THE MONTH. WELL CALL ME CRAZY BUT WE'RE ARE READY TO HAVE ANOTHER CHILD AND HAVE BEEN TRYING FOR 1YR NOW AND WE HAVE YET TO CONCEIVE. AM I DAMAGED GOODS........

Answer
Hello, Jess,

I wouldn't speak of you as damaged goods. You are infinitely precious to God, and in His eyes, we were all "damaged goods", but He died for you. That said, you say you have had four abortions. Yes, you have done some serious damage to your body. That goes without saying. In general, about half the women who have three abortions will never conceive again, and you have had four. Obviously, these are statistics, and some women conceive anyway, even after four. There are some that have many abortions and still conceive. The answer to the question you seem to be asking, whether you will conceive, is, nobody knows. Usually after a year, it is reasonable to seek a doctor's help in diagnosing the reason why.

If you had abortions in a facility someplace, then you probably had surgical abortions. Surgical abortions cause scar tissue to form on the surface of the uterus, where the inner lining should be. This has several effects on an attempt to have a child. First, if the scar tissue completely covers the openings to the Fallopian tubes, a woman will not get pregnant, If there is a slight opening, she can experience a tubal pregnancy, which is a very dangerous condition. Also, scar tissue on other parts of the surface can result in a baby's being unable to attach to the wall of the uterus. This can cause placenta previa, but it might also result in a baby being unable to attach anywhere.

The fact you have two periods a month indicates that your hormones have been messed up (which is common), and it may mean that you are not experiencing fertility. Or, it may mean that during the time of ovulation, because the uterus is still raw or perforated, and has never healed, you will bleed at that time as well.

One thing that may be helpful is to learn how to tell when you are fertile. You cannot be using any hormones. If you are bleeding during your fertile time, then it will be more difficult to tell, but you should be able to observe slippery mucus along with blood. To learn more, go here:

http://www.fertilityuk.org/

And by the way, I don't consider you crazy. A large family is a wonderful thing.

Please take care, and let me know how things go. If you go to a doctor, let me know what you find out. If you do become pregnant, let the doctor know, because you may be unable to carry a child to term. The remedy would be to fasten your cervix shut until time for birth. Also, it will put you at greater risk at the time of birth. So the doctor needs to know.

Good luck.