1.    Aspirin: Its effectiveness hasn’t been proven as yet. But taking high doses of this medicine in the early stages of pregnancy increases the chances of miscarriage by almost 7 times.

2.    Pineapple: When you consume unripe pineapples, it produces excessive heat in the body that increases the likelihood of abortion.

3.    Vitamin C: Citrus vegetables and fruits give rise to heat in the womb. So consuming foods containing vitamin C is another natural way to cause an abortion.

4.    Dong Quai: This herb should be brewed with tea. It causes contractions in the walls of uterus.

5.    Laxative: Taking laxatives in the early stages of pregnancy is known to cause a miscarriage.

6.    Parsley: This is an effective herbal remedy found useful for abortion. It contains emmenagogue that stimulates the menstruation hormones. As a result, the cervix starts to soften up.

7.    Papaya: Since a long time, pregnant ladies have been advised against this fruit. Papaya melts meat and is therefore a threat to the life of fetus.

8.    Cohosh: Either black or blue cohosh can be consumed. But it should be taken in limited amount as a high dose can lead to hemorrhage and severe cramps as well. This herb starts contractions in the uterus very soon after it is taken.

9.    Cinnamon: It is safe to consume and helps achieve results as well. It stimulates the menstruation hormones, thus inducing abortion.

Moreover, several people hold the belief that the morning after pill is same thing as abortion pill, which is not true. The morning after pill aka emergency contraceptive pill is advised to be taken within 24-72 hours after the contraception method fails or unprotected sex has been had. Even if the sperm has fertilized the egg within this period, then this fertilized egg is just a small cluster of cells or one cell – too small to be even detected. The pill is like a hormone which dissolves this cluster or that single cell and does not cause any bleeding or pain.

Now coming to the functioning of abortion pills, this kind of pill is taken after the woman misses her period and the pregnancy test comes out to be positive. The pill has oxytocin which causes the uterus to cramp. It detaches the fetus from the walls of the womb, after which it dissolves the fetus. At this stage, the fetus might be having a heartbeat, meaning that it has a life.

Then the question arises – why is emergency contraception not the same as abortion? The pregnancy medically starts after the fetus gets attached to the uterine walls and the implantation takes place. So the emergency contraceptive pill does not bring about abortion because it acts before the fetus can implant itself. What the womb has 72 hours post contraception is not fetus- it is a lifeless cluster of cells.

1.    What is termed as a missed period: If a period is delayed by two days, then it is not a missed period. Not having it for more than 6 weeks is called missing the period.

2.    Anemia: It is a fact that more than half of women in India are anemic. Lack of blood cells can very well be the cause of missing the period.

3.    Extended use of pills: Hormonal instability can result if you use contraceptive pills for a long time. It is advised to break the cycle of contraceptives every six months. See a doctor if you have been on pills for some years.

4.    Date manipulation: By taking contraceptive pills, women sometimes try to manipulate the date of period for their own convenience. This too can be one of the causes of missing the period.

5.    Travelling: Jet leg is yet another possible reason of missed period as it may confuse your biological clock.

6.    Menopause: Women nowadays are reaching menopause at a comparatively younger age. If you are close to 35 years, then menopause too can be the cause of missed period. Having contraceptive pill makes you vulnerable to hormonal imbalance.

7.    Stress: Stress can have unusual effects on the body. Excessive stress cramps all muscles in the body. Emotional stress is one of the causes why you might have missed your period even if you were on a pill.

8.    A switch: Yet another reason is change of pills. You can miss your period if you switched the brand of pills or started taking another kind of pills in the last month.