Hi all, so I wanted to explain my experience of having a medical abortion via BPAS (British Pregnancy Advisory Service) during lockdown in England. Firstly, I am writing in this in the hopes that if anyone is going through a similar situation, they can find comfort in my experience and thus enable them to make an informed choice.
I found out that I was around 5-6 weeks pregnant, which without going into personal details; my husband and I was not in the position to have a baby, nor was I mentally ready to go through pregnancy. Without further a-do I will explain the process. I called BPAS on a Thursday, they had a telephone consultation with a nurse the very next day, Friday. When the Nurse called I discussed with her any medication I was on, any health issues, regular periods, ovulation date etc and then she explained the whole process to me. I was also asked why I was considering an abortion and offered counselling. I was nervous, but ultimately still very willing to go ahead. As I was medically suitable for the medical abortion, I was asked if I wanted to collect the treatment pack from a specific clinic or have it posted to me via 24hr Royal Mail. I stupidly requested the postage option as I was told it could be here the following day (not a good idea). It was obvious Royal Mail were delayed, therefore I phoned up on the following Monday in panic asking if I could collect from a clinic instead, as I was so nervous but also each day seemed to drag on with my thoughts and discomfort. Fortunately, I was able to collect my treatment pack from a clinic near me and when I arrived, I had a quick discussion with a Nurse who answered any additional questions, this is why I recommend this option.
Once I got home (Monday), at around 3pm I took the first dose of Mifepristone which is taken orally with water. I had no side affects from this what so ever. Then at 3pm the following day (Tuesday) I instered the 4 Mistoprosal tablets into my vagina. I also took a codeine tablet for good measure in case the cramps started. I noticed some minor chills, which were only brief. I had no bleeding and very little cramps for around 4 hours. At 7pm I started bleeding lightly and inserted the extra two Mistoprosal. I heard that pacing around helps get things moving so I did that for a while. At around 10.30pm I started to bleed heavyish. I noticed that I had passed two small clots. I went to bed and the next day (Wednesday) the bleeding eased up and was very minimal. This concerned me as I expected the bleeding should be heavy for 4 days at least. The next day, Thursday the bleeding was heavy again and I noticed I had passed a couple more clots. The cramps were slightly uncomfortable but not painful and I took Codeine to assist with the discomfort. The bleeding was like a heavy period and I noticed there was some jelly like blood in my pad (this is normal). I bought some Night pads and Tena pants on top which were really helpful for sleeping. The next day (Friday) the bleeding continued and the cramps eased off. I had an appointment to see a Nurse in a clinic near me, which was made due to the bleeding initially not being heavy enough and really just to put my mind at rest. (You don’t have to book an appointment, as long as everything has gone as expected.)
At the appointment I saw another lovely Nurse, where I explained what had happened. I was told to lay on the bed whilst she examined with an Ultra-Sound scan probe which went into my vagina - don’t worry, it did not hurt at all and only was inserted a couple inches, with lubricant. The Nurse could see on the monitor my womb was completely clear and there was no part of the pregnancy left behind - which was great news.
After the appointment I was told to just monitor my bleeding. Today (Saturday) the bleeding has eased up slightly and is not as heavy as yesterday.
Finally, I would like to conclude by saying this whole process has not been easy, but ultimately it was what I wanted. I feel much better in myself now the treatment is complete and it has a high success rate. I was petrified after reading experiences on here, but I can say it’s been a relatively straight forward, painless experience. BPAS have been very helpful. Please be careful where you read experiences and try to get your information from medical professionals. I hope my experience provides you with comfort and confidence, please feel free to ask any questions about the process that you may have. (Please be kind).