Name: Erin
Did you have a pregnancy test? Yes, one at doctor’s office after trial of herbs
What was the date of the first day of your last menstrual period? 2/24/01
What was the date when the herbs were started? 3/16/01- Vitamin C 3/20/01 Dong Quai
Were you using birth control? Yes
Did you experience any symptoms or signs of pregnancy? Yes, breast tenderness, nausea
Please include a summary of dosage information.
Comments:
After about a month of abstinence, we got back together (3/9/01), but by this time, I had stopped taking birth control. We decided to use a condom and it broke. I wasn’t really worried, since I had been on the pill for about 2 years prior and figured that it “wouldn’t happen to me.” About a week after the incident (3/15/01), I started to notice some symptoms of pregnancy. Breast tenderness and nausea made me start to suspect that something different was going on in my body. I had been pregnant before, had a surgical abortion and didn’t want to go through that again. (Just a side note: It wasn’t necessarily a bad experience, but I thought that it would be easier to deal with if the way the pregnancy was terminated seemed to happen in a more natural way.)
On 3/16/01, I started taking Vitamin C and stopped after 3 days due to cramping. I then took a day off and on 3/20/01, started taking Dong Quai. I took 1000 mg for my first dose and the lowered it to 800 mg every 4 hours. I noticed that my pregnancy symptoms had started to cease, but after nothing else happened, I stopped taking it (3/22/01).
I decided to terminate my pregnancy with a medical/chemical abortion using methotrexate and misoprostol. At the clinic, my pregnancy was confirmed and I was given the first pills to take on 4/5/01. I followed with the next group of pills on 4/7/01 at noon. After a half hour, I started to experience severe cramping and decided to go to bed. I woke up at 2 pm and went to the bathroom. I had started bleeding and I immediately aborted then and there. I bleed for 8 days after this and at my check up they confirmed it was a successful abortion.
If I were ever in this situation again, I would try herbs. Maybe the dosage that I took or the kinds of herbs I used were just not right for my body. This is a very encouraging and helpful website and I would recommend this to anyone who was in such a position. I would also recommend a medical/chemical abortion for anyone who didn’t get results from the herbs. (Though it is costly and not available in some areas.)
Thank you so much!!!
Submitted: June 19, 2001
Age: 21
Weight: 130 lbs.
Height: 5’4”
Pregnancy Test: Positive
Resolution: Chemical Abortion
When was it taken? 4/5/01
What was the result. Positive
If no pregnancy test was taken - do you think you were pregnant? Yes
How strongly do you feel this way? I had it confirmed later
How was the pregnancy ended? Medical/Chemical Abortion
Do you know the date of fertilizing intercourse? 3/9/01
What was the date you were expecting menstruation? Around 3/21/01
How long do your cycles usually run? Approximately 27 days
Do you cycle regularly or irregularly? Fairly regular
How many weeks pregnant were you when the herbs were started? 1 Week???
For how many days were the herbs used (total)? 6 days
What was the date the pregnancy was terminated? 4/7/01
What kind/method of birth control/contraception were you using? Condom
Do you know how/why it failed? Broken Condom
When did they start? A week after fertilization
Name of the herb: Vitamin C capsules for 3 days (3/16/01-3/18/01) cramping;
Dong Quai capsules - 1000 mg first dose, 800 mg every 4 hrs after for 3 days (3/20/01-3/22/01) alleviated symptoms of pregnancy.
My boyfriend and I were not prepared for pregnancy since we were both beginning our college careers. We had been having intercourse very regularly, but since his father had become very sick, he was often gone to be with his family, so we saw less of each other.
Erin
