Abortion Options

Dear Niki,

Help! I am late and think I am pregnant! I am not sure what I want to do but I am pretty sure I don’t want to have a kid yet. What do you know about herbal abortions and any other alternatives available to me for terminating a pregnancy?

Signed

Distressed

Dear Distressed

First things first. Take a pregnancy test so you know if you are pregnant or just late. If you are pregnant you don’t have to rush and make any decision today. You can wait awhile, and really think things through. Keep in mind that the fetus does grow extremely fast so don’t go waiting until the last possible moment. Be sure of your decision. Whether you choose an herbal approach, menstrual extraction, RU486, or a clinical, there is no going back. There is no approach that is much easier than another, and you need to make sure that you have people around you that will help see you through this and support you before and afterwards in order to help you to reconnect with your body. I will briefly explain your options if you do choose to terminate.

When choosing to terminate, it usually easier and less traumatic, the earlier you choose to do it. Herbal abortions are one choice you may consider. Women may choose this option thinking its more natural and that they can do it at home in a more supportive environment. It is important to remember that just because you are using natural substances does not mean that natural is safer or easier. I have read about herbal abortions being successful. As an herbalist, I use herbs to support health conditions and work things out of the body whereas Western pharmaceuticals tend to suppress symptoms and make health conditions more manageable. Herbs used in aborting would not be going along with natural processes necessarily, they would be going against what your body is trying to manifest. This is not a judgement, just an observation. If you do choose to take herbs, there are many listed as emmenagogic or abortifacient. They may cause a pregnancy to terminate, but they have different mechanisms of action and it is a little complicated. If you do choose this option, make sure someone is monitoring you. If you get too sick or it isn’t working within a week or so, you must go to another option. The herbs may hurt the fetus so it is not advisable to then choose to keep the pregnancy. Uni M. Tiamat has a great book called “Herbal Abortion” which is out of print but if you email me I can make you a copy. Colette Gardiner, a well-known Herbalist from Portland had a very good website up explaining your options when using herbs for abortion. Look her up on the web if you can’t find it and try emailing her. I have never actually seen an herbal abortion work 100% for sure. Most of the times I have been involved with this situation, the women were not sure they were pregnant or after a few days of trying an abortifacient tincture, they decided to get a clinical. If you take herbs for this reason some of the side effects may include you nausea, cramping, and pain for quite some time before the pregnancy actually ends. It is not easy nor necessarily that safe. Some of the herbs used are mildly toxic which is how they work.

Your other options include menstrual extraction, RU486, or a clinical abortion. Menstrual extraction, is a process in which the fetal contents or menstrual flow is extracted out of the uterus with a basic suction kit that is offered mail order. It is not a process you can just read about and do, but in the current political climate, I think it is an important process to know, understand and learn. There are women that have been trained and know this process and have been providing it for a long time. It is illegal. The training for using this process includes learning how to create a sterile space and extract menses. Women usually practice the basic extraction of menses on each other before they ever do it on another woman who seeks them out. The benefits are that you can do it at home in a supportive environment. The cons are that many times women don’t take the process that seriously because it was easier and go back to having sex and regular activity too early. If sterility isn’t maintained after this surgery, in whatever context, then infections can incur.

RU486 is an abortifacient pill now available to women. It is inserted into the womb. One of my clients just decided on this option. She thought it would be the easiest and safest choice, and she could do it at home in a supportive environment. From what I understand the process takes two days. It a different experience for each woman, but is generally supposed to feel like a heavier flow than usual with a little more cramping. My client experienced extreme pain, in fact it was so bad she ended up going to get a clinical abortion in the middle of the process.

A clinical abortion is your other choice. There are a few clinics in town and if you contact me I will refer you to one my friend works at whom I trust. In some states they have incorporated a supportive approach into the clinical setting that makes it a little less intimidating, but Texas has a long way to go. You make an appointment and have the procedure done, which varies. The clinic will provide information on the choices you have and the procedures. There is usually follow up visits. There is a group in town that helps fund abortions for those in need known as the Lilith Fund. Remember that funds and service providers are most easily accessed earlier in the pregnancy, before the second trimester.

Whatever your choice, contact me for information on aftercare. I know some massage therapists that do sliding scale for post abortion care and I would be happy to let you know what herbs help support the healing process afterwards.

To your Health

Niki

healthdaze@yahoo.com