Expert: Pat G - 4/22/2011

Question
QUESTION: hi
thankyou for your reply the other day regardng my baby still being alive after an abortion however i cannot find any evidence to back that unborn babies produce their own proesterol after a certain point, could you clarify? ive been through hell and dont want to get my hopes up too much at this stage, do you have any links that back this?
many thanks

ANSWER: Hello, sarah,

The clearest explanation I found is this one. RU 486 is another name for mifepristone.

"How does RU 486 work?

"RU 486 kills a developing baby after his or her heart has begun to beat. It blocks a vital nutrient hormone, Progesterone. The embryonic baby, who had implanted into the nutrient lining of the mother’s womb at least two weeks earlier, can be compared to a grape on a vine. If the stem is pinched, preventing the nourishing sap from reaching the grape, it will wither, die and drop off. Just so, if this drug is used, it causes the embryonic baby to wither and die. A second drug, prostaglandin, is used to expel the dead baby from her womb.

"Counting from the first day of her last normal menstrual period, it is effective only from the fifth through the seventh week. Some claim success, but with decreasing effectiveness, into the 9th week."

http://www.abortionfacts.com/online_books/love_them_both/why_cant_we_love_them_b

(the link will probably not be clickable. Copy and paste what is there, and then attach the following: oth_10.asp )

The reason the pill rarely works past 7 weeks is because by that time the baby is making enough progesterone to sustain the function of the placenta. You were nearly 9 weeks, and your baby survived. So obviously, your baby was making enough progesterone. Since a baby is completely formed by 8 weeks (when the term "fetus" is used to describe the baby), there would be little risk of any major deformity in a baby who is older. I am only familiar with one case where a woman said she took this drug at 9 weeks and got results. But I think there were two reasons. One is that she followed up with a heavy dose of Cytotec (misoprostol). The other is that she may have been about to have a miscarriage anyway. In my opinion, though abortion is irresponsible enough, it is highly irresponsible to give either drug after 7 weeks.

I am about to go to bed, and I am very tired, so I don't really feel up to doing more research tonight. It's the wee hours of the morning. I may be able to find you something about the baby making progesterone by that time. You may also be able to find something by using the correct spelling, "progesterone".

Nobody can guarantee that your baby will be perfect. However, the odds are in your favor, and you are not taking any risk that every mother doesn't take. There just are a certain number of people who have some kind of problem. But you are most likely fairly young, which is also in your favor. There are other birth defects that happen, but they aren't caused by these drugs. Just pray for the safety and well being of your baby, trust in God, and know that He will provide strength if there will be any unusual challenges. The vast majority of people who have an unusual challenge usually love their life and are grateful for it. The larger emotional burden falls on the parents, but with God's grace, parents will be strong.

Take care.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hi again thankyou for your quick reply i found this piece of info today off a site called choice to live with, i think it would provide valuble info for other women in this rare situation

Likewise, if the abortion fails and the baby is found to be developing normally at the 2-week check up, the clinic might insist that you need a surgical abortion. This also is untrue, and the decision is still in your hands. They cannot force you to have a surgical abortion.  



The clinic will most likely warn you that birth defects will occur. However, in a study done on women who continued their pregnancies due to a changed decision or a continued pregnancy despite a medical abortion, out of 82 women only 1 baby was born with a cleft palate, which is correctable and could be totally unrelated to the medication.  The rest of the babies were born alive and healthy. Misoprostol has been associated with Mobius syndrome, which causes facial paralysis, but statistics say that this happens very rarely. You deserve to know the truth and have all the information concerning this procedure - let the clinic know that you are aware of the studies and statistics.  The best course of action to take if you would like to continue a pregnancy after one or both medications is to contact a pregnancy center who can give you the name of an OB who is trained in dealing with this kind of situation.

i took this drug what do you think of this info, check out the site its very helpful if it is real and true, do you think it is?

thanks

Answer
Hello, sarah,

You're welcome.

Yes, A Choice to Live With is a site I trust. The information looks accurate. Cleft palate is known to be caused by a deficiency of Folic Acid. You can supplement with Folic Acid to help prevent this problem (if the damage has already occurred, it can be corrected with surgery).

The advice to find a doctor who is training in dealing with a situation like yours is good advice. You can find an organization near you by going to this web site:

http://www.optionline.org/

They cover the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. Keep in touch, and let me know how you do. Take care.