I have had one miscarriage and after that I thought I couldn’t have any kids anymore. Me and my bf have been trying for a while. But now I feel cramps on my side and near my abdominal area. Sometimes I get headaches. I haven’t thrown up though. I have problems with my back and took a test but it came out negative. I haven’t had my period for about 2 months now. I also am confused because I wake up looking skinny but during later in the day i look bigger. My stomach changes every now and then. It confuses me. Can u help?

Victoria

Dear Victoria,

Thank you for submitting your question.  Have you talked with your personal medical provider about your concerns & symptoms?  I would make that a high priority on my to do list, if I were you.

Having one miscarriage, or spontaneous, natural abortion, does not necessarily rule out your ability to have any more kids.  Many women have several miscarriages yet are later able to successfully become pregnant and deliver a healthy child.  If you have had a previous miscarriage and are attempting to become pregnant, then you definitely want to meet with your OB/GYN doctor and seek their advice.  In some cases, something more serious may be causing miscarriages, so  you want to rule out anything like that.

You mentioned abdominal cramps, headaches and back problems.  All of those symptoms are easily caused by other factors.  Again, it’s best to share your symptoms with your health provider just to be on the safe side.  Regarding your belly being skinny or looking larger, this could be just caused by bloating or normal size variations which take place in every person’s belly throughout the day (based on the amount of liquid/solids within it).

The fact that you haven’t had your period in 2 months can be a concern.  This could be caused by a poor diet or a diet lacking in certain essential nutrients.  It can also be caused by a variety of other factors including great stress, a change in your exercise regimen, sickness, and certain medications.  Again, I strongly recommend you schedule an appointment soon with your physician just to make sure.  Yes, there is a chance that you could be pregnant, but my guess is that you are not.  I have been known to be wrong, though.

Best of luck,

Hannah

About 2 weeks before my period was about to start I started feeling a little sick to my stomach. Nothing too strong, but upset. My period was supposed to start 4 days ago. I took an Ept test yesterday and it was negative. I feel really light cramping, bloated and tender breasts. My husband and I have been trying to have a child for 2 years, so every month has been so disappointing. Is there a reason why my period is late? If I’m not pregnant, is there a possiblity something is wrong?

Thanks,
Melissa

Dear Melissa,

Thank you for your question. Without knowing all your circumstances, it’s difficult to know for sure what is taking place; but, then again, the purpose of this website is never to “diagnose” but rather to provide helpful informative information & to encourage readers to see their personal health professionals for any “official diagnosis.”

Having said all that legal jargon, here goes: Your symptoms that you stated sound like you are pregnant, but I’d be careful about really getting my hopes up too high, if I were you.  Bloated & tender breasts, light stomach nausea and a missed period are typical indicators that someone is pregnant.  Keep in mind that home urine based pregnancy test kits increase in their accuracy when you are at least a week (or more) past the time your period should have begun.  The “pregnancy hormone” (hcg) increases in the weeks during your first trimester.  You can read more about early pregnancy symptoms and about home urine pregnancy test kits (both articles are found in the left hand column of the pages).

Now, having said all the hopefully, positive things above, let’s cover some of the other facts of life:

1. The same symptoms that you might experience which can indicate that you are pregnant can also be experienced by those who are not pregnant and may indicate health issues which a professional medical physician would need to diagnose.
2. Home urine based pregnancy tests are not 100% accurate.  I would definitely recommend you take another one.  Better yet, schedule an appointment with your physician (if you still haven’t had your period) and have a lab quality pregnancy test there.
3. Periods can be late for a number of reasons.  Stress is a big cause, as is sickness, poor diet or a major change in diet.  Even changing your exercise routine can cause your monthly cycle to go out of whack.  Now, a missed period is always one of the first indicators that someone is pregnant, but just keep in mind that it’s not a 100% for sure thing that you really are pregnant.

Best of luck to you & your husband, Melissa.

Hannah

Hannah,

My friend said she was going to have an abortion, and that it would be a MTX.  Could you let me know more information on what exactly that is?  Thanks in advance, Shelli.

Shelli,

An MTX abortion is one involving Methotrexate & Misoprostol.  It’s a two step medical abortion procedure performed up through the first 7 weeks of a person’s pregnancy.  This same procedure is also used as a treatment for ectopic pregnancy which occurs when a fertilized egg attaches in a place other than the uterus such as in a fallopian tube.

The MTX abortion procedure takes place in the following steps:

• First, methotrexate is taken either orally in tablet form or injected
• The methotrexate then interferes with placenta growth and this causes the placenta to separate from the mucous membrane that lines the inside of the uterus
• Around 5 to 7 days after the methotrexate is taken, misoprostol is then taken either orally or inserted vaginally
• Misoprostol then causes contractions which cause your body to expel the contents of the uterus
• If the MTX abortion procedure is not successful, a surgical abortion will be required to complete the process.

An abortion involving Methotrexate & Misoprostol usually involves 3 visits to an abortion provider over the period of several weeks.  During the first & second visits, the medications are given.  The third visit is a follow up appointment typically scheduled no more than 20 days after the second visit to make sure the procedure was successful.  If an MTX abortion procedure is not successful, then a surgical abortion is required to complete the process because a fetus will most likely not develop normally after being exposed to these two powerful drugs.

Women who are early in their pregnancy may choose a Methotrexate & Misoprostol abortion as an early pregnancy abortion method not involving the use of surgery.  An MTX abortion is most effective when performed within the first 7 weeks of pregnancy.

MTX abortion procedures are affective over 90% of the time.  Injected Methotrexate & vaginally applied Misoprostol have been found to be most effective in contrast with the same medications taken orally.  Over 60% of pregnant women will find their pregnancies terminated within the first 24 hours of taking Misoprostol–though a second dose of the drug may be necessary.  In other cases, an MTX abortion procedure may take up to 21 days to prove effective-a time span greater than other abortion procedures.

A woman experiencing an abortion involving Methotrexate & Misoprostol is likely to experience syptoms similar to a miscarriage.  These syptoms may include diarrhea, nausea, cramping & vaginal bleeding as clots & tissue from the aborted fetus pass from the uterus.  Additional side effects of an MTX abortion include those not seen: emotional, psychological & more.

I hope this clarifies things up for you, Shelli.  If you live around the El Dorado, Arkansas area (or even around Camden or Magnolia), feel free to stop by one of our women’s medical centers.

Have a great day,

Hannah