Expert: Pat G - 6/6/2010

Question
hi i'm victoria and i tried to have an abortion using the cycotec pill almost three years ago but i was unsuccessful because i was having twins and did not know i passed out one of the fetus and tried to loose the other baby i passed out clots and had alot of pain but was unsuccessful at the end of the nine months i had a son he's two now i would like to know if me using the pill then would have caused any damage to him because he is constantly sick with a fever and passing out i did not swallow the pill but had it inserted. even now i have constant abdominal pain and passing out a thick white discharge did i get some kind of damage help me i am really scared

Answer
Hello, victoria,

Your son's problems may or may not be due to the abortion. Let me give you some thoughts, and see if this helps.

Cytotec is a medication that is intended for stomach ulcers. The manufacturer says a pregnant woman should never take it. It can kill her in one of several ways, and it can cause birth defects in children who are born after an abortion attempt. But the birth defects tend to be of the nature of stunted growth (brain, limbs) and mental retardation. I haven't seen anything in the literature about Cytotec use making the child sickly. Is your son's mental development normal? If you need help with that, let me know what he is doing at the age of two. Also, does he have low blood pressure?

How far along were you, and did you take anything other than Cytotec?

The thick white discharge with pain suggests that you may have an infection. You should go to the doctor and have him run tests. Make sure that among other things, he tests for Clostridium sordellii. This is one source of death in women who use pills vaginally.

You haven't said where you live. However, I know that in some countries, particularly the United States, babies are given a large number of immunizations. This can actually undermine a child's immune system and make him much more prone to getting sick. In particular, I learned from personal experience that flu shots tend to cause people to develop a tendency toward respiratory illness. I used to get strep throats. When I stopped getting flu shots, I also stopped getting strep throats. Fevers are actually healing. They tend to burn out infection. The important thing is to make sure the fever doesn't go too high, but if a child is given something to bring down a mild fever, this will delay recovery.

I will give you a chance to respond, and then I may be able to tell you more.