“Nong I-Din has found adoptive parents”
News from early October 2016 stated that Nong I-Din, who was born in February 2016 to a mother who was not ready to raise a child and was stabbed 14 times, was found in Waeng Yai District, Khon Kaen Province. Later, he received treatment and recovered completely. The Kanthong Children’s Home took care of Nong I-Din, who is now over 7 months old and in good health. A Swedish couple has contacted to adopt him, and they will continue to care for Nong I-Din according to the procedures of the orphanage.
In such cases, Uncle Doctor says it is one solution that women can choose if they are too far along to terminate the pregnancy, must continue the pregnancy, but cannot raise the child. They can contact a children’s home or consult at the adolescent clinic of any hospital and the AIDS and unplanned pregnancy hotline 1663.
As for news from the 1663 hotline, it helped a 26-week pregnant teenager who was very stressed and unable to have an abortion, intending to harm herself by using a sharp object to insert into her vagina. However, through coordination by the 1663 hotline and RSA volunteer nurses, they contacted the teenager’s mother to help her understand and forgive her daughter, which would help her get through this crisis. She was afraid her mother would not forgive her, afraid she wouldn’t be able to continue her studies, and they also talked to her university professors about her studies, and her boyfriend to propose and accept the child.
Another case involved the 1663 hotline coordinating with a teenager who called for advice, who was 6 weeks pregnant, to receive abortion services at a hospital with RSA doctors and nurses in the north. This teenager wrote several points about her experience with the 1663 hotline staff, such as:
- This hotline has people who listen to problems, helping to relieve stress.
- They offer solutions to problems, discussing where and how it is convenient, and what obstacles there are.
- They view those who call for advice positively, understanding the reasons for abortion, helping to reduce self-guilt.
- It feels like a safer solution than buying pills online, as there is uncertainty about counterfeit drugs.
- There is follow-up care from medical facilities for safety in case of risks.
- Consultations are confidential, only asking for age and province. Conversations use codes, so if calling back, only the code is needed, not revealing names, which is a good thing the 1663 hotline provides as a mediator for women who decide to choose abortion as a solution, receiving safe resolution.
Uncle Doctor believes that, in reality, if not absolutely necessary, women, their partners, or families would not choose abortion. For example, a 25-year-old woman came with her boyfriend who is still studying. She was 5 weeks pregnant and told Uncle Doctor she was not ready because she had just started working, was not stable, and often sick. Both mothers were unaware, but when she talked to her boyfriend about it, he disagreed with abortion. She told him she wasn’t confident in him, so Uncle Doctor told her to call for advice if she chose to terminate the pregnancy, but she never called back.
Another case involved a 14-year-old girl who came with the boy’s parents. Her pregnancy was 8 weeks along. Everyone agreed to continue the pregnancy, even though both were still studying, but they were afraid of sin and, importantly, the boy’s mother thought they could raise the child, so they didn’t consider abandoning the baby.
Recently, Uncle Doctor met a 22-year-old woman who was treating acne on her face with a doctor by taking “Isotane” (Isotane10) one pill a day for several months. She prevented pregnancy by having her boyfriend use condoms but did not take birth control pills. Her periods were often irregular, sometimes missing for 2 months. Once, her boyfriend didn’t use a condom, so she took emergency contraception “Postinor.” Her period was over a month late, and a urine test confirmed pregnancy. She went to the hospital, and an ultrasound showed she was 11 weeks pregnant. The doctor said the baby had a high chance of being disabled because she had just stopped taking “Isotane” a week before seeing the doctor. She feared the baby would be disabled and chose to terminate the pregnancy.
Uncle Doctor wants to warn women about this medication because in Thailand, it is widely prescribed and used. “Isotane,” “Roaccutane,” and “Accutane” are trade names for “Isotretinoin,” used only for severe acne resistant to other treatments. It is classified as category X, meaning it is strictly prohibited for pregnant women due to a very high risk of severe birth defects, including facial, eye, ear, skull, central nervous system, cardiovascular, thymus, and parathyroid abnormalities, such as small head, facial deformities, cleft palate, IQ below 85, limb abnormalities, multiple disabilities, abnormal embryos, and immune system effects.
In other countries, when this drug was first used, there were warnings for pregnant women about “Isotretinoin” in 1992 in the American Journal of Dermatology (Dai WS et al.). It was found that women using this drug became pregnant, and 409 cases were followed up. There were 222 abortions (54%), 29 miscarriages (7%), and 151 continued pregnancies, with 72 normal infants (48%) and 71 disabled infants (47%).
Another report published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology involved 90 women who accidentally became pregnant while taking the drug. There were 76 therapeutic abortions (84%), 3 natural miscarriages, 2 infant deaths from birth injuries, and 9 live births, with 1 infant having facial and neck deformities.
Uncle Doctor recommends that women starting this medication must prevent pregnancy by using at least 2 highly effective contraceptive methods, such as men using condoms and women taking monthly birth control pills. Emergency contraception is not recommended due to low effectiveness and high pregnancy risk. Contraception should be used for at least 1 month before starting the medication, and a urine test should confirm no pregnancy before using the drug.
If possible, pregnancy tests should be conducted monthly during medication use and 1 month after stopping the medication. Contraception should continue for another month before planning to have children to ensure the drug is completely eliminated from the body, preventing any impact on pregnancy.
With love and care,
Dr. Rueangkit Sirikanchanakul, RSA Network Coordinator