Expert: Pat G - 11/30/2010

Question
My last period was on Oct. 29th, I was forced into having sex on Nov. 1st (4th and last day of my period) I took 4 pills of Logynon the next day and 4 more after 12 hours. (Yuzpe) regimen. On Nov. 9th and 10th (that's day 12 and 13 of my cycle) I bled and had cramps that lasted for 2 days.

It's Nov. 30th today and I still don't have my period. I took a pregnancy test on the expected day of my period (28th) and it came out negative. It's the 30th today and still no blood. I took 3 Arthrotec pills last night and still no bleeding. Please help me out here! Was the bleeding inbetween my period or withdrawal bleeding?

Answer
Hello, sasha,

You have taken some powerful medications and have totally disrupted your delicate hormonal balance. Anything is possible. Don't expect your body to settle back into some kind of a pattern for awhile.

Arthrotec contains misoprostol, which is extremely dangerous if a woman who is actually pregnant takes it. It can kill her. It is also unlikely to produce an abortion at this point, if at all.

You need to stop taking these toxic drugs.

A pregnancy test will probably not be positive for at least another week, if your period is actually due on the 28th. But it is unlikely you were fertile on the last day of your previous period. Occasionally a woman will ovulate that soon, but not usually. Being forced to have sex can cause enough trauma to prevent ovulation anyway.

Give your body a chance to recover from these powerful and toxic hormones. If you do turn out to be pregnant (unlikely from that one incident anyway), the wisest thing you can do is find a country where you will be safe, and have your baby there and place him or her for adoption, and then return home. UAE is not a safe place for women in your position; in fact, it's not really a safe place for women in general. So even if you can leave permanently, you'd be better off. I realize this is a rather startling suggestion, because you probably had no intentions of leaving. But I can't think of a way you can safely deal with your situation if you stay there.

If you want to do this, and you can't get the kind of help you need to leave, go talk to the American embassy, and tell them your story, and ask for their help. I don't know if they can help you, but it's the only place I can think of where you have a chance. Your government won't protect you from the kind of assault you experienced on the 1st. Be sure and stay away from the person who did that.

Please take care of yourself, and don't risk your life anymore. Let me know what happens.