At the end of February, there was shocking news for the public when a cattle herder in Waeng Yai District, Khon Kaen Province, heard a crying sound, thinking it was a gecko, and went to investigate. He used a stick to dig the ground and found a baby buried with 14 puncture wounds. The baby was immediately sent to the hospital and miraculously survived. Investigation revealed that the baby’s mother, aged 42, gave birth while working in the garden, then stabbed the newborn and buried it. She hid the pregnancy from her husband, not wanting the child and carried the pregnancy to term.
Uncle Doctor believes she had an unplanned pregnancy problem, but solving it on her own ended tragically.
Years earlier in the same province, a woman gave birth alone in an apartment room. She hemorrhaged and died with the baby for several days. Her husband, unaware of the pregnancy, found the bodies. The man had multiple wives, and the woman, not wanting the child, hid the pregnancy. Initially, locals said she agreed to give the child to a vendor, but hiding it led to not seeking prenatal care and giving birth in a hospital, resulting in her death.
Uncle Doctor is also saddened by the two cases of unplanned pregnancies, seeing it as a crisis for women. Women facing such issues should have the right to access unplanned pregnancy counseling and medical services, and these tragic events should not occur.
If it’s simple, if you know you’re pregnant and feel unprepared, call the unplanned pregnancy counseling hotline at 1663. The decision after counseling, whether to continue the pregnancy or terminate it, is the woman’s choice.
Uncle Doctor met three women who had abortions and faced problems afterward. Interested? Let me tell you.
Case 1: She came with her boyfriend on February 21, saying she was 8 weeks pregnant but couldn’t continue the pregnancy. The decision was because they weren’t married. She didn’t want to do it, and her boyfriend wanted the child, but her mother advised termination. She chose to believe her mother out of fear of shame. Her mother was a government teacher. Another issue was the man already had a wife without children. She thought it over and went to a service on January 10, using the surgical method (MVA) with a vacuum aspirator. Afterward, she had vaginal bleeding from January 16-20. She was happy, thinking it was her period, but Uncle Doctor argued it was post-abortion bleeding, not menstruation. During that time, she used three small pads and one large pad daily. She thought it was normal because she didn’t have abdominal pain, only a slight lower abdominal heaviness. But 15 days later, she still had intermittent vaginal bleeding, using pads that weren’t fully soaked. Some days the blood was bright red, some days dark brown, and some days there was no bleeding. She didn’t consult the doctor who helped her, but by February 1, she had lower abdominal pain. She wondered why and did a urine test, which showed two lines, thinking she was pregnant again.
She went to the hospital, and the doctor did an ultrasound, finding blood in the uterus, not pregnant, and admitted her to the hospital. But after being discharged on February 5, she still had intermittent bleeding, which stopped for a while, then clotted bleeding occurred, stopping until February 20, when she had a heavy flow for about 10 minutes and then stopped. She came to see Uncle Doctor with a flood of questions about menstruation, ovulation, and fear of needing a uterine curettage. Uncle Doctor did an ultrasound and found a small retained placenta. Treatment options included suctioning it out or monitoring symptoms. If bleeding continued, it might pass on its own. She understood and chose to monitor symptoms. After that, she recovered normally.
Case 2: She came on March 16, saying she was 4 months pregnant and had an abortion over a month ago at a service. Afterward, she had continuous vaginal bleeding, but 4 days ago, she had heavy bleeding and was frightened, so she went to the hospital. The doctor wanted her to stay for treatment, but she requested to go home and came to see Uncle Doctor. Her blood pressure was normal (130/80 mmHg), pulse slightly fast at 88 beats/minute, no fever, slightly anemic. An ultrasound found retained placenta and a lot of blood in the uterine cavity. Blood tests showed normal platelets.
Uncle Doctor treated her with antibiotics for 3 days, followed by suctioning 100 cc of dark blood from the uterine cavity. She was eventually safe and discharged home.
Case 3: She was 7 weeks pregnant and went for an abortion at a service using suction. During the procedure, she said it had to be done twice. The first attempt failed because the uterus was bent, making it difficult to use the instrument. The second attempt was successful. Two days later, she had increasing abdominal pain, almost unable to walk. Examination showed tenderness in the uterus and lower abdomen above the pubic bone, no fever. Ultrasound found no retained tissue but uterine inflammation.
Uncle Doctor treated her with antibiotic injections and oral medication for 7 days. The treatment resulted in a full recovery.
In summary, post-abortion complications can occur. The first case had a small retained tissue, the second had retained placenta and blood in the uterine cavity, both called “incomplete abortion.” The third case had inflammation without retained tissue, called “endometritis,” which can occur with suction methods. If there is fever, widespread lower abdominal tenderness, and abdominal rigidity, it is “pelvic inflammatory disease,” a severe condition requiring immediate hospital treatment. Remember, when facing an unplanned pregnancy, seek early consultation, know the medical termination methods, find a safe service, and learn self-care after abortion.
With love and care
Dr. Rueangkit Sirikanjanakul, RSA Network Coordinator
Dr. Rueangkit Sirikanjanakul, RSA Network Coordinator