‘Laura’ (not her real name) shares how Dr Dermot Kearney and the abortion pill reversal treatment saved her baby’s life.
Laura fell pregnant in the summer of 2020. However, as she wasn’t in a stable relationship and was unsure about having enough finances, she decided that getting an abortion was the best way forward. “I always had doubts about whether I should take it,” she says, “but on balance I felt it might be the best decision.”
Laura applied to the pills-by-post scheme and was quickly sent the abortion pack to her home. Even then, she says she was unsure about whether or not to go ahead with the termination: “I hoped that once I had taken the pill, I would stop spending every hour of the day contemplating. However, this was not the case.”
‘Instant regret’
“After I took the pill, I regretted the decision immediately and broke down in tears on the floor, feeling so much guilt.”
In a state of desperation, she says she tried to make herself sick to bring it back up: “I was vomiting blood through cutting my throat with my fingers as I was desperate to make myself sick, but I couldn’t do it properly. I didn’t realise how much I would regret taking the pill until I had done it, and it was a horrifying moment I will never forget.”
‘Undoing the abortion’
Laura admits that before she tried to abort her pregnancy, she had no idea that abortion reversal was even an option. It is standard practice in the UK for women to be told that their pregnancy cannot be saved once the first pill, Mifepristone, is taken.
However, undeterred by this misleading advice, Laura searched the internet for ways to try and undo the side effects of taking that first pill.
“I had no idea the pill could be reversed, but I turned to Google in the hope that I could find a treatment to somehow undo what I had done. I didn’t expect there to be much hope, if any. I wish I had known that it was possible to reverse the pill, but nobody had told me.”
Initially, the only help that Laura was able to find was in the USA: “I almost gave up on account of where they were,” she says. “However, I did make contact and found that they helped people all over the world. I really could not believe my luck at all.”
Having made contact with the organisation in the USA, she was then put in touch with Dr Dermot Kearney, who is UK-based, and from there, things moved quickly.
“Within an hour, the American doctor had put me in contact with Dr Dermot Kearney, and he explained about the prescription I could take. He helped find my nearest open pharmacy and contacted them directly to send the prescription and help undo the effects of the tablet I had taken.”
For abortion pill reversal to work effectively, a progesterone pill is prescribed as soon as possible after the Mifepristone pill has been taken. Latest evidence suggests that the success rate in abortion pill reversal can be as high as 68% if the treatment is started within 72 hours of taking the first abortion pill.
Laura’s treatment began as soon as she could pick up the prescription: “I picked it up within another hour and I instantly felt relief. I was aware that it might not work, but I felt I had to do everything I could because I could not have lived with the guilt of taking the tablet and continuing the abortion. It would have broken me mentally and I would never have forgiven myself. I dread to think of the mental place I would be in now knowing my baby would have been due.”
Provision of care
One of the many worries about the provision of abortion pills by post is that there is little to no aftercare for women. Those who have experienced the process have repeatedly said that there was very little offered to them in the way of follow up appointments. However, Laura says that the level of care she received from Dr Kearney went above and beyond what she expected.
“He provided me with a life-saving service for not only my baby but myself. He also provided telephone care throughout. I was able to ask many questions about the prescription and seek any advice when needed. Dr Kearney always checked in on me through the weeks of treatment and even after. He really made me feel like he cared about the situation I was in and made me fell like a had a constant support contact there if I needed.”
Despite the guilt that Laura felt at trying to abort her pregnancy, she says that Dr Kearney never cast any judgement on her.
“I felt a tremendous amount of guilt about what I had done and Dr Kearney told me not to carry any of that guilt. He didn’t cast any judgement on me or make me feel in any way tat what I had initially done was shameful – even though that’s how I felt.”
Miracle baby
Thanks to the treatment, Laura has now given birth to a healthy baby boy.
“I am completely in love. I cannot thank the doctors enough or put into words my appreciated for their services. When I sent texts to friends and family about the birth of my son, I also sent one to Dr Kearney because without him, he may never have even been born.
“I have my miracle baby and I could not be happier. My family is complete. Dr Kearney provided me with a great, amazing, life-changing service.
“I never thought I would be so lucky as to find an option to undo the pill I took, and being placed into contact with Dr Kearney felt like a miracle.
“It is because of his help that I can look back on the moment I took that pill without having to live with pain and regret for the decision I took, as I now have my beautiful baby boy.”
Find out more about Dr Dermot Kearney
