Hi, I want to share my abortion story and give out advice of my experience. I hopefully want to receive some of your stories to compare them to mine.
After reading many many stories online I thought I had eased my thoughts and anxiety. I got an NHS medical a last week. I am 22 years old and in a very happy and loving relationship. We have always spoken about having children and are very excited about one day having them. I had always thought that if I was to accidentally get pregnant that I would keep the baby no matter what. I found out I was pregnant at about 3 weeks (very early I know) and deciding between abortion and life was very hard. The reason we chose to have an abortion was because we are both at University and still living at home. I cried when we had made the decision. I didn't want to abort our baby but due to our current life styles, it wouldn't have been fair on us or the baby to be under that much financial stress. I went to the clinic which was quick and easy and had a scan revealing that I was 5 weeks and 6 days pregnant. The first part of the treatment was easy, no side effects, no bleeding just waiting for the next course of treatment. At this point I felt terrible, questioning whether I had made a mistake. The next day came in which I was nervous ALL day about what was going to happen to me. I was prescribed codeine and antibiotics by the clinic to help manage my comfort. Once I had inserted the pills I waited. About an hour later I started to bleed, a little heavier than a period but not much more. I had light cramps, so I took some paracetamol and waited for it to kick in thinking that's all I was going to need. How wrong I was!! The pain was EXCRUTIATING. I tried to take some codeine, but I threw both doses back up straight away. I could not keep still with how much pain I was in. I was crying in pain in bed all evening. The unbearable pain lasted about 4 hours, in this time I was constantly going to the toilet where a lot of blood, and clots gushed out. The bleeding began to reduce as the night progressed - as did the cramps. I decided to have a sleep as I was so exhausted and weak from the pain that's all I wanted to do. Half an hour nap sorted me right out. The pain had significantly reduced, and the nausea had also disappeared, so I took two codeine to stop the pain from coming back. I went to bed in hope the next day would be better. When I woke up I immediately ran to the toilet where a lot of blood came out, but this was expected as I had been lying down for the past 6 hours. It wasn't much blood, just a little more than a normal heavy period. As the day went on the bleeding was nothing like the day before, just that of a heavy period. It was a lot more manageable and the pain was completely gone. I had a few mild cramps, but this was treated with ordinary painkillers in about 10 minutes. The cramps were the same as period pains. It has now been 4 days since my medical abortion. Although the pain is nothing I will ever forget, I do not regret getting an abortion but I am still deeply upset that there could have been a miniature version of us running around in less than a year, if only I was graduating this year... Although I still feel sad, I am excited for summer, holidays, and to finish my degree next year. We have decided that in 2-3 years we will try for another baby and hopefully be in a better position and living together. I am still getting small twinges in my stomach, but it is less than normal period pains which is solved by a couple paracetamol. The bleeding is also now fine and similar to a normal period which gets lighter throughout the day. I am physically and mentally back to being myself and could not be happier now the stress of a baby has been taken away. I do not intend to put anyone off having an abortion, as the awfulness only last a few hours - and everyone is different, so you may not feel a thing. I advise taking STRONG painkillers BEFORE taking the second part of your treatment before the nausea kicks in - if you are unlucky like me. Thinking back to that night, I can't really remember what the pain felt like, I just remember it being awful, so don't be scared, just be prepared. Take your pain relief before, get comfy, and find some good films on Netflix to pass the time.