Expert: Pat G - 9/16/2009

Question
What kind of risk is there for someone that has pcos and has had 2 previous abortions to have another abortion? The first 2 were done about 3-4 years before diagnosed pcos. is it safe to have another one?

Answer
Hi, Crystal,

According to the information I have, nobody knows what causes PCOS. Information on how having abortion when a woman has pcos also seems to be scanty, as far as I can tell.

Before you even think about abortion, have the doctor check to see how viable your pregnancy is. About 1/4 of all pregnant women experience miscarriage. No sense in undergoing the risk of abortion if your pregnancy isn't viable anyway.

If you are pregnant now, and you ever want children, you better carry this one, because it may well be the only child you will ever have. It may not be the best timing, but it depends on whether you ever want children. First of all, having three abortions causes about half the women to become sterile and never conceive again. Abortion can also cause problems with a later pregnancy, and that's where you are right now. It can cause miscarriage or prematurity. The remedy is for the doctor to fasten the cervix shut until time for birth. It can also cause problems during birth, and may make a Caesarian section necessary. But the risks of all that are still much less than having another abortion. Abortion can kill you.

PCOS can come with a risk of obesity and diabetes. Obviously, diabetes will be a factor in pregnancy as well, if that is a likelihood. There are several things you can do to help prevent these problems, or correct them, if you already have them. The herb Gymnema sylvestre, alone or in combination with other useful herbs, can help correct diabetes. Diet is very important, and there is a lot of misinformation circulating. First, to combat obesity, going on a low fat diet can actually AGGRAVATE the problem. Your body needs fat for a large number of reasons, and if it doesn't get enough, it will hang onto the fat it has, which means no loss of fat. Fats are needed to make hormones that keep a woman's body normal. Instead, a woman should eat few refined carbohydrates, because these are the real problem. Things like brown rice and multi-grain bread are much less of a problem, but should be eaten sparingly. Artificial sweeteners actually cause and aggravate obesity. They also do other kinds of damage to the body. Sugar is actually much safer! Also, stay away from monosodium glutimate. A vegetarian diet can cause obesity, and a vegan diet is especially bad, because you're not getting animal fat, and you NEED animal fat! It can come from milk or eggs, but there are some kinds that occur only in meat (and fish) that are also required by the body. So lean meat is good, because you need plenty of protein, and getting adequate protein on a vegetarian diet is difficult. Vegetarian diets tend to be far too high in carbs. Eat well and nutritiously, and you will reduce the risk substantially, whether you have a baby or not.

Abortion is dangerous. Please don't even think about having another one. You may have escaped obvious harm from the other two, but you may not be as lucky this time. Please take care of yourself, and stay safe. Let me know how things go.