A young woman has claimed she fell pregnant after using detox tea, saying it counteracted her contraceptive pill.
Crystal George decided to do a 14-day detox ahead of her holiday with partner Mike Gray, 28.
The 27-year-old, from Shefford, Bedfordshire, had been taking the contraceptive pill since she was 17 and says he had no idea the detox would affect her pill.
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However after returning from holiday, Crystal says she felt unwell, and thought she'd come down with a bug. It wasn't until three months later that she'd discovered she was in fact 13 weeks pregnant.
Crystal claims her doctor told her that some detox products can flush out the digestive system with a laxative effect, which can in turn stop the pill from being absorbed into the bloodstream.
Three of the ingredients in the product - yerba mat, fennel seeds and nettle leaves - have a laxative effect which could cause the contraceptive pill to be flushed out of your body.
"I had been taking the contraceptive pill since I was 17 years old and never had any issues with it," said Crystal.
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"I took it religiously everyday so I was completely blindsided when my doctor told me I was pregnant.
"When I explained I'd taken [the detox product] in previous months, the doctor explained it was probably due to that flushing out my system with a laxative effect that my contraceptive pill failed."
Crystal says that when she broke the news to her partner Mike, the pair looked on the box and leaflet of the product, but there was no warning about how it can affect the pill.
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Despite her surprise pregnancy, the mum-of-one says she's now happier than ever with her daughter, two-year-old Kovah.
"In hindsight, Mike and I are over the moon to have our daughter Kovah, but at the time I found out I was pregnant it was a huge strain on both Mike and my mental health," Crystal said.
"We hadn't been together long and I was petrified of what people thought of me falling pregnant so soon into a relationship, I didn't even tell my own mum about my pregnancy until I was 20 weeks along.
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"Mike and I had planned to start saving to travel around the world but all that changed when I fell pregnant.
"It was a really difficult time for both of us, but luckily we've come out the other side stronger as a couple and couldn't imagine our lives without Kovah now."
Following the birth of her daughter, Crystal is now looking to raise awareness about the potential for detox products to affect the contraceptive pill's effectiveness.
"I'd say to people to 100 per cent do your own research into detoxing if you are considering it; but honestly a healthy shift in diet will do much for your gut than tea," she says.
Crystal added: "I don't regret taking the tea as I have the biggest achievement and blessing I could wish for in my daughter.
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"I'm over all the issues that came when with the pregnancy but it was the hardest time of my life.
"I was left naive and vulnerable because of a tea - a lot of the younger generation don't fully understand about it.
"Whilst it was highly traumatic, I don't feel bad about it at all because it gave me my beautiful girl, but my circumstances could have been very difference."
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