Expert: Pat G - 7/24/2010

Question
I am 24 years old, a mother of one and I am 3 1/2 weeks pregnant. I am deciding to terminate my pregnancy due to very intense personal reasons. I am keeping the procedure confidential from everyone except my husband and am scheduled for lab work soon after I take my set of pills (mifepristone &misoprostol)- My question is : How long are these pills detectable in a persons body? Will my doctors know that I chose to have an abortion through labwork?

Answer
Hello, pettywoman,

I don't know if you'll get a notice of this revision or not, but I hope so.

Thank you for the rating. I do take ratings to heart.

They are hiding the dangers of abortion from the public. Abortion drugs are a lot more dangerous than the Pill. And the Pill isn't safe, either.

In any case, I should have told you that you need to TELL your doctor if you have an abortion. He needs to know to give you good medical care. It is unethical for him to give your medical information to anyone else, although these days, the government in some countries is insisting on it, and doctors are complying.

The thing you need to worry about is not other people's judgments, but your own. In my experience, most women are far harder on themselves over having had an abortion, than anybody else is. "Only a few weeks from conception" doesn't make it safer, more desirable, or less likely to cause you serious emotional grief. The places you did you research most likely came from sources that are systematically defrauding women. This is a much more serious problem than people realize. And the main reason why the manufacturer of misoprostol says a pregnant woman should not take it is NOT because it causes miscarriage (by itself, it often doesn't). It's because of the OTHER harm it does.

As for the reasons you have for wanting to have an abortion, I agree that they are serious reasons, but they are certainly not worth risking your life for. I hope you will find another answer, because you deserve better. Take care.

Hello, pettywoman,

Having an abortion to hide a pregnancy is a very bad idea. If you have a complication, everyone will find out. Do you have the money to pay for the medical care necessary if you have a complication? If the pills kill you, who will take care of your child? Abortion tends to affect a woman's ability to be a good mother. Children tend to pick up that something is wrong, and it makes them feel insecure. Abortion can destroy your marriage. It can have serious emotional repercussions. A woman is 7 times as likely to commit suicide after abortion than if she carries the pregnancy to term. She is also several times more likely to experience accidental death or homicide in the year after an abortion. She is more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol. She is also more like to abuse herself, become anorexic or bulimic, or develop sleep disturbances, such as horrible nightmares. I have experienced these nightmares. You don't want to go there, believe me. If you think you have intense personal reasons, I suggest that it is likely they're not nearly as intense as what can happen to you if you do this. And why would your husband consent to you harming yourself and your family like this? Don't believe the claims that abortion is safe. It's very, very dangerous. They hide this because they want your money.

These pills are dangerous. They can cause a woman to bleed to death, to develop an infection that can kill within hours, and can cause your uterus to rupture. The manufacturer of misoprostol says a pregnant woman should NEVER take it. No ethical doctor will prescribe it to you. Unethical doctors lack medical judgment.

You should worry about SURVIVING first, and THEN worry about how long doctors will be able to tell. Regardless of what your intense personal reasons are, are they worth risking your life for? If you don't want this child, choose adoption. It is much, much safer, and yes, married couples do sometimes place children for adoption, and there's nothing wrong with that.

I realize that doesn't answer your question. The problem is, nobody really knows what these pills will do in the long run. But if you want to hide your pregnancy from a future doctor, yet you take a step that could reveal it to the world now, what's the point?

Please don't risk your life like this. You deserve better. Please let me know what happens.