Abortions
#239801 - 01/19/06 10:29 AM
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Lucrece
Reged: 04/29/05
Posts: 150
Loc: Canada
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I know this is a morally questionable topic, but I am going through a very rough time in my life right now. I need to know how an abortion will affect ibs. Sometimes you need antibiotics, I think, for a surgical abortion. But there is another where you take drugs. I need information.
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IBS-C
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it probably won't help. there are lots of aspects of the procedure that could irritate ibs - the sudden hormonal shifts, uterine cramping (especially if medically-induced), antibiotics/other medication, the physical procedure itself (if surgical), and general stress. but all that being said, i wouldn't think that ibs would weigh enough against all the reasons why you would choose to have one. i can only imagine how tough this is - best of luck, and i hope it all works out alright.
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jaime
ibs-a (mostly d) // vegetarian
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I'm guessing that the immediate procedure would probably make your IBS worse (if only because of the hormonal fluctuations), but continuing with a pregnancy would probably do the same thing (and for a longer period of time)!
I think anything having to do with the female reproductive system (menstruation, pregnancy, abortion, miscarriage, hormonal contraception, IVF, etc.) tends to affect IBS, so I don't think you can make a choice based on IBS grounds. Whatever you end up doing, make sure you're eating safely and find some part of your day where you can relax.
--AC
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Thank you both for your responses. I haven't taken a pregnancy test yet, but I have some symptoms of pregnancy. I am going to take a test tonight though. I am only 17, and I'm quite close to tears at the moment. I was just starting to stabalize after a stressful couple of weeks, and now this.
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IBS-C
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oh god. i hope you have someone around who can be there for you with this. i know ibs sucks, but do what you have to do, and you'll be able to get your stomach under control again. here for you if there's anything else we can do to help.
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jaime
ibs-a (mostly d) // vegetarian
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thank you so much. I truly appreciate the concern. I am pretty sure my boyfriend will be there for me. I am terrified of telling my parents -I don't think I can. I think I am just going to go, get it done and try to move on with my life.
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IBS-C
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I can give you my experience with my last pregancy. My ibs was pretty much gone during my pregnancy and it has been so much better since I had my daughter. I know you are young and scared about all of this and I can understand because I would have been too. As a mom, I would want my girls to come and talk to me if they are in a situation such as yours. Your parents might be upset but that doesn't mean they won't be there for you and they will always be upset. Having a baby does change your life but just remember there are more options too. You may not even be pregnant. If your stressed that can effect things and if you ibs is giving you problems than that might be all your experiencing. And if there is one thing I have learned, when things seem horrible, remember time changes things and your own perspective.
If you feel comfortable, please update us.
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Good luck and of course stress is probably IBS's biggest trigger.
Don't underestimate parents sometimes parents surprise you with understanding.
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Lucrece
#239886 - 01/19/06 01:06 PM
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Sand
Reged: 12/13/04
Posts: 4490
Loc: West Orange, NJ (IBS-D)
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I'm so sorry you're having to face this. I'm glad you can count on your boyfriend to be there for you.
If you can't tell your parents, but want to talk to someone older, you can probably get a referral from your school health services or Planned Parenthood or someone like that to a counselor who will let you talk it all out and help you make whatever decision is right for you.
Please take care. We're thinking of you.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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I've been there and the stress can cause all sorts of symptoms on it's own.
If you do need to do something then it will mess your tummy up a bit but now you have techniques to help you stabilise, you can do it again. 
{{{hugs}}}
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I became pregnant when I was 18 and gave birth when I was 19. I too was very very scared to tell my parents, but after the first inital shock both my in-laws and my parents were very supportive in everything. I now have a healthy 2 year old. I would defintely think about telling your parents though, they may surprise you. We are here for you if you need us!
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I'd second what everyone else said about it probably affecting your ibs in some way in that it will affect hormones - but also that you can't make this decision on the basis of your ibs. Having a child and being unstable for a period of time are VERY different.
Do you have resources around you that can help you? If you are worried about talking to your parents, please go see a school health counsellor, or is there a Planned Parenthood in your area? There is so much support out there for young women and teens having to go through this I would hate for you to feel alone or scared. And of course remember that everyone the boards is here for you!
But of course, take the test first! I've been in that situation before, and no, it is NOT easy. Luckily, my test came back negative even though I was SURE I was pregnant.
This is a good page on the Planned PArenthood website about abortion, choices, options etc --> http://www.plannedparenthood.org/pp2/portal/medicalinfo/abortion/
PLEASE let us know if there is anything else we can do for you!
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If I'm not mistaken I think with most pregnancy tests even the early detection ones, you have to be about 14-21 days pregnant, or the results may not show up. Can anyone verify this information?
Don't make any rash decisions if you are pregnant, and reconsider telling your parents about it. I'm sure they will not be happy at first, but they'll probably then be very supportive of you. Let your heart make the decisions, not your fear or embarassment about the situation. Good luck.
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Re: Abortions
#240001 - 01/19/06 05:52 PM
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amo616
Reged: 08/16/04
Posts: 236
Loc: Ontario, Canada
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You are facing a tough decision. All I want to add is that I have a son who is 17 and I would want SOOOOO BAAADDD for my son to talk to me if he were in a situation like this, no matter how bad it is. No one loves you more than your parents, even if they may have a funny way of showing it sometimes. 
You know your parents best, but please at least consider giving them a chance to help you.
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Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
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i went on vacation w/my BF in 2004. the day we were flying back i was supposed to get my period--only it didnt come. and it continued to not come for 3 weeks! i was so panicked and stressed and felt awful internally b/c i was so stressed. i think i even took 5 tests *gasp* im sure it wouldve come alot sooner had i stopped worrying and it turns out flying messes w/your whole system but nonetheless, i know exactly how you feel. *hug* hang in there~
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VEGAN ASHLEY~IBS/C
www.myspace.com/dutchflowers
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There are Planned Parenthood clinics in Canada too though they are a bit fewer and farther between.
At any rate, these links will probably be a bit more helpful as they are Canadian based and give info on Canadian-centric options; particularly, legal and availability issues regarding abortions differ a little in Canada from the US (luckily, they tend to differ in women's favour here in Canada).
At Planned Parenthood Federation of Canada:
"Help I think I might be pregnant. What are my choices?"
Pregnancy & Options
At Childbirth by Choice (*pro-choice* organization):
Information for teens about abortion
*this is a really good document
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The "early response" tests can be taken as early as 4 days before you expect your next period. Standard tests are more like 1 or 2 days I think.
Whether or not she tells her parents I think really depends on her relationship with her parents.
If you think they will be totally supportive and helpful then it might be nice to have them supporting you while you are going through this - including the testing part. However if you are not sure that they will be supportive it might be a better idea to wait until you know for sure before springing it on them. But I really do think only you can answer that question - and ultimately of course it is your choice.
Legally, depending on where you live, the hospital or clinic may require your parents' consent because you are only 17. If you live in Ontario or BC though, you do not need that consent, however the age that hospitals considering "consenting" varies (though I'd imagine 17 would probably be ok most places). (I don't know where in Canada you live, but you could easliy find out all the necessary details from a hospital or clinci.) Additionally, some provincial health insurance plans cover the cost of an abortion or part of it while others don't, so if you don't have the money to pay for an abortion you may need to talk to someone who can help you out there. If your parents have additional health insurance through work this procedure MAY be covered under their plan(s) as well. At any rate, hospitals and clinics (as well as insurance companies) across Canada are legally obligated NOT to give out the names of women who have had abortions.
All that said, I would really encourage you to talk to this with your parents or at the very least another adult you trust. While having an abortion is a perfectly acceptable choice for a young woman to make, it is not an experience that anyone should have to go through alone or without guidance.
Edited by retrograde (01/19/06 09:43 PM)
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Lucrese, Please, please, give this a lot of thought. You are understandably scared and upset now. I dealt with a lot of girls going through this when my girl was in high school. Abortion seems the easy way out. It is not! Please tell your parents (at least the most understanding one). They will be hurt, but there is nothing more beautiful than the baby-grandparent bond. IBS is the least of your worries. Many girls who have abortions, regret them the rest of their lives. Please get help and don't do something you may regret. We love you. xo Bette
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(cool)
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I took a pregnancy test this morning, and it turned out to be negative, however, if I was to be pregnant, I wouldn't even of have been pregnant for 2 weeks. Probably more like 1 week and 5 days. Can I trust the test to be accurate? My period is quite late. Although I was extremely happy when I read the results, I began to linger on the possibility of false hope.
I have a doctors appointment on Wednesday, I will ask for a blood test if my period doesn't arrive. I'm not as stressed as I was before this morning, but I am still very nervous.
Thank you all so much for your support. The links, the advice, the consoling ..you are all very helpful. I am not going to mention this to anyone else, until I know the facts for sure. Thanks again.
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IBS-C
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If your period is already late when you've taken the test, chances are it's accurate. The hormones show up as few as 4 - 5 days after conception, so the test should have shown positive if you were. Read the pamphlet in the test package. It will tell you how many days after conception it can detect a pregnancy.
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Formerly HanSolo. IBS, OCD, Bipolar, PTSD times 3.
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Hooray for the negative test!! If your period is late, the test should be fairly accurate, but a blood test isn't a bad idea so you can completely rest your mind. At least when I was in grad school, the docs at the school clinic would give me a blood preg test any time I came in complaining of fatigue - so docs are very happy to do that sort of thing for women in their late teens and 20s.
Retrograde had some great links in her previous postings. It wouldn't hurt to brush up on some of those things. I just learned from a Planned Parenthood animation that fertilization is often *days* after you have sex - who knew? There are also loads of contraceptive options that most people don't know about, and also lots of great strategies how to renegotiate what activities you do or don't want to do with your BF.
--AC, with a 20-year spotless record of negative pregnancy tests 
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Really?! Just reading that makes me much happier. Finally! I can relax and study for the exams without my mind lingering uncontrollably. I am still going to take a blood test this Wednesday, but now I am just more relieved. Which is good. I actually haven't started studying yet!
Thanks again. I'm not sure if you all realise how important it was for me to actually talk to someone about this. I haven't really mentioned it to anyone else. It was basically eating away at me internally -I knew I had to let someone know something. Thank you, for your excellent moral support and advice, althought, all you really had to do was listen.
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IBS-C
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I think they would be accurate at 2 weeks. I had trouble getting pregnant and when I finally did I am pretty sure they had me come in two weeks after ovulation time. Does it say in the instructions?
Here's hoping you "dodged the bullet." And keep your birth control handy ! ! ! !
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Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
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How soon can you take a home pregnancy test?
There are early prediction home pregnancy tests available that claim to detect pregnancy as early as 6 days past ovulation. But in spite of their claims, most are not sensitive enough to guarantee you an accurate result at this point. By 14 days after fertilization (about the time you would expect your period), most home pregnancy tests may be able to detect the hormone in your and give you a positive result. In fact, you're much more likely to get an accurate result if you wait until a week after your expected period before testing.
How reliable are these pregnancy test results?
At-home pregnancy tests are considered to be very accurate with low occurrences of false positives. If used correctly they are about 98% accurate. The standard home pregnancy test is only useful if used on the day of your expected period or sometime after. For best results you are advised to use first morning since the levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) will be concentrated and easier to detect. If you get a negative result but still not getting your period, you should wait a few days until your human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) levels have doubled and try testing again.
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Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Hooray for studying - whoda thunk that it would seem like such a fun thing to do? It's tough to keep all that inside, so I'm glad you felt you could confide in us here. Believe me, I've been there and so have a lot of other women. Take care of yourself, and consider any changes you could make so you don't have to suffer through this panic again!
--AC, remembering why she's glad to be in her 30s...
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Focus on your exams. We're always here for you! Hugs, Alicia.
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Formerly HanSolo. IBS, OCD, Bipolar, PTSD times 3.
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