Pregnant woman mistakenly given abortion pill

DENVER, Colorado - February 8, 2011 (WPVI) -- A medicine mix-up may cost a pregnant woman in Colorado her first child.

Mareena Silva recently went to her local Safeway Pharmacy in Denver for an antibiotic.

But she was accidentally given another woman's prescription for methotrexate -- a cancer drug that is also an early term abortion pill.

The woman had the same last name, and similar first name to Silva.

After taking the pill Silva felt nauseous, then realized the medicine didn't belong to her.

She tried to cough it up but couldn't.

The pharmacy has apologized for the mistake and offered to pay for her medical expenses.

"For all of this to happen now, it's really overwhelming," Silva said. "Sorry is not going to cut it. I'm going to have to deal with this for a long time."

Doctors say Silva could lose the child, have a baby with birth defects, or have a happy and healthy child.

For now, they are checking Silva's bloodwork to make sure her hormone levels are OK.

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