TEENAGE PREGNANCY / ABORTION

[Sassy80]

Looking for some guidance please. Based in Scotland.

My 18 year old daughter just found out she is pregnant. Thinks she is 6 weeks+. Live in south Lanarkshire. she is edging towards a termination at this stage but needs to call someone to discuss options. Looking online sandyford clinic is advising significant delays in appointments. Is there anyone else she should contact? Would her GP be able to help?

She is in 1st of university. Exams due in May, I’m not sure if the university will be open this week due to Easter holidays to gain access to student support services to advise if they can assist. Does anyone have experience with this?

She also wants to explore what it would look like if she decided to keep the baby. Gov website is not clear with advice around whether she would be entitled to UC or if she would get help with childcare once returning to university? She is in receipt of a bursary , not sure if she would still receive that if she took a year out?

She has support from us and will be able to live with us as long as she needs to but funding a baby even with parental support will be hard. Also will our income be taken into account when applying for help? Would citizens advice be best place to talk to or is there another route to seek out advice around benefit help?

We’re all in a world wind at the moment and not sure where to start in helping make this life changing decision.

https://www.ucas.com/money-and-student-life/money/student-finance/student-finance-england/dependants-grants-full-time-students#:~:text=You%20could%20get%20a%20Childcare,have%20to%20be%20paid%20back.

Is this any help?

Sounds like she should talk to the Women's Health Unit in your area (information here) to help discuss options: https://www.lanarkshiresexualhealth.org/termination/

Depending what way she is leaning, her university is likely to have a counselling service (generally a very long wait though). Most universities will have policy and procedures for pregnant students - just google her university a 'pregnant student' and hopefully something will come up.

Citizens advice would be best to discuss what she may be entitled to if she decides to continue with the pregnancy.

Best of luck whatever she decides to do.

P.S. regardless of what she decides, her university may have a system to register mitigating circumstances if her situation affects her exam performance. Worth looking into as may be beneficial if she is borderline progressing into year 2 due to impact of this on her exams

Student support will be open.

I had a medical abortion theough Sandyford in 2022. It would still be worth enquiring and seeing how long the wait is. They deal with a huge range of sexual health issues so you may find it’s standard std testing etc that’s delayed as abortion obviously have to be completed by a certain date for medical. I found them extremely helpful. My local is avrually forth valley but I enquired to Sandyford as I work closely to the sexual health team in FV and didn’t want to deal with them and they were happy to take me on board. It may be worth a white lie of the similar to see if another health board would take you on. But I honestly think abortions would be prioritised at Sandyford. I enquired on a bank holiday sat, had a phone call wed night and tablets by the thurs

It was some years ago but I went via the drop-in clinic at the Sandyford, arrived first thing and waited a few hours. An appointment would have taken too long back then, too. They also offer counselling.

I went that route because I didn't want it on my permanent record - no real reason for that - but GP will also be able to offer the same.

Thanks all. I've shared the links you have provided. She's spoken to her university but not in any great detail. Tried to encourage her to speak to citizens advice etc but think she just has just checked the gov website instead. She called women's health and is booked in for the early procedure on Saturday.

She seems mostly accepting of her decision although has moments when she sees other girls of a similar age choosing to remain pregnant.

I do think it's very quick and not sure she has fully explored the option of keeping it as she says she knows it's not the right time for her but it also has made her realise she wants kids sooner rather than later and so once she finishes university she thinks she'll want to get a flat and have babies as soon as she can.

Her bf has just been accepted into a university in another town and likely to move into student accommodation in September so that's another reason for her decision as he won't be about much.

As her mother I think she's making the 'right' decision but I'm also concerned about her talk about seeing other school mates having babies and she wants babies soon, which make me question If she is truly confident about the decision she has made......

Aw I was in the same position as her when I was 19 - accidental pregnancy at uni, really unsure of what to do. You sound amazing and really supportive and I think that'll make all the difference no matter what she chooses that she feels listened to. I was basically made to have an abortion and though I have no regrets now I really struggled afterwords with the contempt and lack of consideration I was given by the people who were supposed to care! It was basically my dirty little secret for years and my family still pretend like it never happened.

If she goes through with a termination it might be worth a bit of counselling just to talk it through and process it for going forward.

All the best to her x

I would encourage her to have counselling afterwards, I never regretted terminating but still found counselling very helpful to process the whole experience. All the best to her x