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Original poster

Medical termination, talk me through it please

44 replies

Confusion77 · 06/10/2019 10:12

I have posted in pregnancy choices but it's understandable a very quiet board. I'm alone in this so can't talk to anyone in real life.

I am due to have a medical termination on the 18th. I'll be just under 9 weeks I think.

I am 100%sure that I need to go through with this, my only concern is the termination itself if that makes sense. I read on another thread that I might recognise the shape of the foetus as it passes? It's that true at this early stage? Also, I'm sorry for asking this, but I have no idea what to expect in terms of pain and blood loss

And timing after the second set of tablets. I will have one day alone withoit the children, so am hoping i can have it happen then (this is 2 days after the initial appointment) No one knows I am doing this and I'm keen for that to continue.

I'm really struggling with tiredness and nausea too which is awful in the circumstances.

OP posts:

Original poster

Confusion77 · 07/10/2019 13:02

Anyone?

OP posts:

ChardonnaysDistantCousin · 07/10/2019 13:05

It might or might not happen straight after the second pill, but it shouldn’t be much worse than a bad period.

Good luck.

Soola · 07/10/2019 13:08

🌹

dodgeballchamp · 07/10/2019 13:10

Can you request a surgical one instead? I had one and it was painless. General anaesthetic and you wake up and the procedure is done. I have no personal experience of the medical but I have friends who’ve had one who suffered a lot of pain and upset stomachs, I’m not trying to put you off if you feel it’s the best way but I’ve not heard pleasant things

VeganVeganVegan · 07/10/2019 13:15

I have had two medicals one at 8wks the other at 16wks (anencephaly). I've also had 4 children and the pain is much worse than a period. I needed gas and air both times (which is the only pain relief I used with my children). You will know when it's going to pass it's like a dropping sensation and the pain goes. As you will be at home get some strong pain relief. It's not pleasant and if you want to chat more please message me

user1483387154 · 07/10/2019 13:21

I was in a lot of pain. about 20 mins after the 2nd tablet I was vomiting bright green liquid. It was 2 days being physically doubled up before it stopped and I called the hospital care line as it hurt so much.

Wheretoturnnext · 07/10/2019 13:26

Hi OP. I think experiences can be very different. I had a medical termination, took paracetamol and ibuprofen and had no pain whatsoever. No vomiting. Bleeding was heavy initially but only for a few hours. Then very much like a normal period. I know I was lucky, but it's not always horrific.

StinkEye · 07/10/2019 13:27

I had a medical abortion at 6 weeks 3 days.
I had both pills at the same time as i didn't want to stagger things, just wanted it 'done with'.

Didn't start bleeding until about 8 hours after the pills. I did not recognise passing anything which i passed at all, and i didn't suffer too terribly with the pain either.

Bled for a hell of a long time afterwards - a couple of weeks i think, but as terrible as this sounds, physically it was not horrendous. Mentally, it was.
I think like many things, it's a bit of a unique experience according to each person - good luck

CrushedVelvetX · 07/10/2019 13:39

I had a medical at 7 weeks and it was the worst experience I've ever had. I chose to take both pills at the same time to save going back the next day. I didn't bleed till about 8 hours after. That night I started to get cramps and was woken in the night. The pain the next day was even worse. I had very severe cramps for a few days afterwords. I bled SO heavily. I remeber going to aldi about 5 days after and I was gushing blood like a tap. Literally couldn't believe how much blood I was losing! Bled for a couple of weeks and that was it. My friend had a medical and was absolutely fine no pain and only bled for a few days. Everyine is different but I would Never go through with it again I'd opt for a surgical. Good luck op xx

Original poster

Confusion77 · 07/10/2019 13:41

@dodgeballchamp it's a longer wait for surgical, and I haven't anyone to help so can't have GA. But thank you.

I'm feeling really quite scared about it being potentially awful, being on my own, and also the children coming home and me still feeling horrendous

OP posts:

Lolipoplady · 07/10/2019 13:43

Hi OP, I'm sorry that you're in this situation.

I just wanted to chime in with my own experience of a medical termination at 7 weeks. It was honestly just like an unusually heavy period, and the passing of the pregnancy happened within about 2 hours of taking the second tablet. I could tell that it passed because some white tissue came out, but I couldn't recognise anything at all - it looked somewhat like a poached quail's egg, white, spherical and very small. I took some co-codamol at the beginning of the procedure but I think I would have been fine without as I felt very little pain.

I know everyone's experience is different, but for me at least it was very straightforward so it may well be for you too. Make sure you know of any warning signs to look out for though, just in case.

Original poster

Confusion77 · 07/10/2019 13:43

Thanks all. I do appreciate everyone sharing their experience, good or bad. I had a year of horrendous periods , to the point of being house bound on some days, which my family know about. If it's really awful I will have to let them think that is what's happening. I might get sone help with the children then.

OP posts:

MonnaLIza · 07/10/2019 13:46

Hi I had a surgical termination ad I was terrified. It was nowhere as bad as I thought and felt well afterwards. I wish you all the best for your procedure. Could you have somebody with you for the day/looking after the other children?

itwasalovelydreamwhileitlasted · 07/10/2019 13:48

It really very much depends on how many weeks you are - up to around 6/7 things are very small and yes like a heavy period physically however after that things start to be much more developed - anything over 7/8 weeks is going to be much more painful with considerable more bleeding and passing of clots and you may pass the sac intact as your cervix has to open wider (and body work harder) to pas everything - I haven't had a termination but I've had 5 miscarriages between 6 and 12 weeks

ineedanotherholiday · 07/10/2019 13:49

I haven't rtfd but just wanted to mention that I had medical management for a mmc and had to take two lots, neither of which worked and in the end had to have the surgical option which was much much easier than I imagined. It ended up taking over a week or so.

Hope that's not the case for you but just wanted to let you know as I see you mentioned only having one day without the children. Best of luck to you

Original poster

Confusion77 · 07/10/2019 13:56

@itwasalovelydreamwhileitlasted I'm so sorry about your miscarriages. It will be 7 weeks exactly since having sex, so getting on for 9 weeks, by the time of my appointment. I made the first call 2.5 weeks after the, so am upset that it has taken this long.

Two people at work have asked if I'm pregnant as (they both are) and I'm yawning all the time and look awful.

OP posts:

snowone · 07/10/2019 14:09

I had a medical termination at 10 weeks, I took the first tablet they day prior to the second. It took quite a long time for anything to happen and was just about to be sent home but then it passed. I didn't look at what was in the bowl, the nurse took it away and confirmed that everything was there that needed to be. The pain wasn't any worse than strong period pains and the bleeding was only heavy for a couple of days.

Good luck 💐

Original poster

Confusion77 · 07/10/2019 14:15

@snowone thank you. I will be sent home with the second set. I hope I'll have a similar experience to you. I'm unsure when to take the second set. DC will be with me til around 9am, then be out all day til 6pm. I wonder whether to take them the night before and hope it's not too horrendous, then have the next day without them to recover.

My worry is that if I take them in the morning, it won't be over by the time they get home. I realise there may be bleeding for some time afterwards.

OP posts:

CrushedVelvetX · 07/10/2019 14:48

The night before? They won't let you take them home op you have to take them at the clinic. The first ones you won't feel anything. It's the second ones that make it happen. Mine weren't even taken orally. My second set of tablets had to be inserted vaginally so maybe that's why I had a really really bad time with it.

CrushedVelvetX · 07/10/2019 14:52

Also just to show how different every clinic is different.

Me and my friend live just 3 miles from eachother but went to different clinics.

She was given 2 tablets and that was it.
I was given 2 pills to stop the pregnancy hormone, 2 pills to insert vaginally to pass the pregnancy, an anti sicknesd tablet as they can make you nauseated and a antibiotic tablet to stop any infection that may occur. When u told her all of this she looks confused! Every clinic really operates so differently.

YesQueen · 07/10/2019 14:54

I had severe pain with mine, both sets of tablets taken orally. Felt a bit faint so ran my wrists under cold water. The pain stopped as it passed but I had a lot of large clots in the following days
It's worth taking spatone and orange juice if you do bleed heavily as I was anaemia afterwards
Mine wasn't a wanted termination and I think that was partially why I had a lot of pain
I was alone for the whole thing and glad that I was to be honest. Make sure to have large pads in and painkillers

Original poster

Confusion77 · 07/10/2019 14:55

@CrushedVelvetX I was told that the first set would be at the clinic, and I'd be sent home with painkillers, antibiotic and second set (Can be orally or vaginally) to take 1 or 2 days after. They said less sickness if taken vaginally. This was what I was told at the bpas consultation.

OP posts:

CrushedVelvetX · 07/10/2019 15:00

Oh you're lucky then confusion! I think it depends where you are in the country then. Are you going to take them orally?

Doormat247 · 07/10/2019 15:19

I was around 11 weeks when I had mine. I was refused a surgical termination so had to have the medical one.
After the first tablet I started to bleed heavily that night, then I had to go into hospital for the second tablet which was taken vaginally. I'm used to heavy periods so thought I'd be able to cope with the pain - I was wrong. I ended up having 2 lots of pethidine injections which didn't help plus a set of painkillers.
It took quite a few hours to pass and when it did it was very obviously a foetus - I wasn't told about this and expected it to be more like cells/a blob type thing. I was quite upset to see a little baby with perfectly formed fingers and toes (one of the reasons we terminated was a supposed high risk of deformity).
Once the foetus passed I felt fine and went home. The bleeding was persistent for several weeks although I don't remember much pain after a week or so. I was lucky that it was just before Xmas so I'd already booked 2 weeks off work.
Apart from possible heavyish bleeding you should be physically fine within a day or so. Two days after the completion, my DP thought it would be a nice treat to spend hours walking round Fountains Abbey - I had some awful cramps and it really set off the bleeding, so I'd advise to try not to do anything too ambitious or tiring for a week or so.

Justme1234567 · 07/10/2019 15:24

They say don’t take painkillers before, but take cocodamol before your appointment and it will be easy x

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