I started the abortion process and I regret it. Can a fetus survive mifepristone??

[Kiki92]

I appreciate the absurdity of asking for kindness on the internet, but please be considerate and try not to judge me too harshly for what I'm about to say. I'm struggling.

I'm 6 weeks pregnant. I became redundant last year due to Covid, so I've been living off of my savings. Not ideal, but manageable as a interim as I'm now back at university doing a business degree. Regardless when I found myself pregnant a couple of weeks ago I was happy, (I already have a 3 year old son from a previous relationship and the thought of expanding my family really made me happy). The revelation caused my partner to instantly leave me, however. He virtually vanished into a puff of smoke. I've not heard from him since.

Since then I've been weighing up the pros and cons, and decided that abortion was my only reasonable option. It seemed like the rational choice. I would struggle to afford another child on my own, and doing it all on my own again seems pretty overwhelming. Not only that, but my family would be very unsupportive of me being a single mum to 2 children with 2 fathers. (Not an issue in my eyes, but I can imagine their comments).

So, I collected my pills on Tuesday. I was putting off the process. I talked myself into starting it yesterday. I took the first pill (the mifepristone), and I instantly broke down and realised it was a mistake. I tried to make myself sick, but I couldn't. The regret was instant and overwhelming. My initial qualms and panics seem futile.

I spoke to a 111 gyno last night who told me not to take the second batch and to hope that the first pill doesn't work. He said there's hope and I'm praying for a miracle. All I can do is sit and wait. I feel so bloody stupid, and I'm not asking for sympathy for obvious reasons.

Has anyone else been here though????

Is there not an emergency number for the termination provider? Although I think it is probably too late for the pregnancy to continue now.

OP - sorry you’re in this situation.

Have been googling and there do seem to be treatments available if you change your mind after taking the first pill. It might only be something available privately, which might be a reason why the doctor just said to wait and see.

I can’t see any clear guidance on NHS website though, but it may be worth contacting 111 again or just going straight to A&E.

Also, perhaps if you call an abortion helpline they might have out of hours support you can access?

That's really helpful @babbaloushka

OP, if you can find specialist help now on that link, I would really encourage it. That would be the best thing to do.

Without wishing to scare-monger, I'm concerned for your health if you only take the first tablets. There are some serious issues associated with this.

Please seek medical advice.

Posters who are googling & suggesting there is progesterone treatment available - please stop.

There isn't.

OP, please seek expert medical advice.

How does medical abortion work?

Medical abortion involves the use of two agents: mifepristone, a synthetic steroid with antiprogestogen activity, and misoprostol, a prostaglandin analogue.

Mifepristone competes with progesterone at a receptor level, blocking its action. This causes the pregnancy to stop progressing and the placenta and embryo to detach from the endometrium, followed by dilation and softening of the cervix.

Mifepristone also increases uterine contractility and sensitisation of the myometrium to prostaglandin-induced contractions.

Misoprostol is taken 24–48 hours after mifepristone. This induces contractions, cervical opening and evacuation of the uterine contents.

This website seems to suggest that there is a chance of saving the pregnancy:

www.willowbrookwomenscenter.com/2020/02/06/can-you-change-your-mind-after-taking-the-abortion-pill/

Looking at information on the NHS website, mifepristone blocks the pregnancy hormone, breaks down the uterus and starts the abortion.

If you do not take the second tablet, there is serious risk of harm to the foetus in continuing the pregnancy should it survive.

I don't want you to get false hope from well intentioned comments and I think you should realistically consider the implications of trying to continue with this pregnancy. A later miscarriage or physical deformities or serious disability to your child, and health implications for you.
I strongly advise you to contact your abortion provider (as you plan to on Monday) to get further advice and request further counselling.

Please try to remain rational. Whatever happens you were trying to do the right thing for yourself and your existing child. Do not torture yourself with guilt. You embryo is at a very early stage of formation.

Please be kind to yourself and seek support. You say your family are unaware? Do you have a close friend to confide in?

[quote VenetoResident]How does medical abortion work?

Medical abortion involves the use of two agents: mifepristone, a synthetic steroid with antiprogestogen activity, and misoprostol, a prostaglandin analogue.

Mifepristone competes with progesterone at a receptor level, blocking its action. This causes the pregnancy to stop progressing and the placenta and embryo to detach from the endometrium, followed by dilation and softening of the cervix.

Mifepristone also increases uterine contractility and sensitisation of the myometrium to prostaglandin-induced contractions.

Misoprostol is taken 24–48 hours after mifepristone. This induces contractions, cervical opening and evacuation of the uterine contents.

This website seems to suggest that there is a chance of saving the pregnancy:

www.willowbrookwomenscenter.com/2020/02/06/can-you-change-your-mind-after-taking-the-abortion-pill/[/quote]
Please be careful what you post. A quick scan of this organisation's website indicates their position.

I don't want to link more internet resources but there is no scientific evidence to support abortion reversal, although some states in the US do say it can happen. It has not been trialled & the attempts to do so have provided distressing outcomes that I don't want to link to.

OP, please contact medical professionals now.

I'm sorry you're in such a difficult situation. I've never been there so can't help but I have fingers crossed you're OK.

@EarringsandLipstick

Posters who are googling & suggesting there is progesterone treatment available - please stop.

There isn't.

OP, please seek expert medical advice.

@EarringsandLipstick

So is the information online wrong? No one is suggesting that she does anything outside of consultation with a medical professional- she would need a prescription anyway. People are trying to equip OP with potential knowledge and information to advocate for herself. The last medical professional told her to “wait and see what happens”.

Are you a medical professional?

So is the information online wrong?

Yes. The information you posted is entirely wrong.

This is a very well-known pro-life / anti-abortion organisation.

It has a clear agenda & this is misinformation.

I'm deliberately trying not to derail the thread with lots of links, but there is no scientific evidence for this.

However, OP could be at serious risk of haemorrhage if she fails to continue with the tablets. (That is evidenced).

OP needs expert medical advice now, if she feels she won't continue the treatment.

I'm not a medical professional, hence the advice above.

The last medical professional told her to “wait and see what happens”.

I know & I find it utterly perplexing. This is very poor advice.

I’d wait the 2 days, skip the second pill and go to A&E to get a quick scan. They’ll be able to tell you how the sac/uterus lining looks.

So is the information online wrong?

Lots of it is produced by pro-life groups. There's very, very little peer reviewed, properly researched evidence to say it can be successfully reversed and result in the birth of a healthy child.

Yes, I'm a medical professional (not a gynaecologist).

And OP, I really hope you get the outcome that's genuinely best for you.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/health/2019/12/24/some-lawmakers-push-abortion-reversal-treatments-new-study-shows-how-dangerous-they-are/%3FoutputType%3Damp

This is a difficult read about 'abortion reversal' and I don't want to upset OP further.

I'm just really concerned about posters advice to her.

In this case, there was an attempt to evaluate the effect of not taking the second pills, and the clinical trials had to be halted due to adverse affects on some participants.

OP, I wish you well & once again, suggest you seek medical advice, directly and soon. I'm sorry for all you are dealing with.

@EarringsandLipstick

So is the information online wrong?

Yes. The information you posted is entirely wrong.

This is a very well-known pro-life / anti-abortion organisation.

It has a clear agenda & this is misinformation.

I'm deliberately trying not to derail the thread with lots of links, but there is no scientific evidence for this.

However, OP could be at serious risk of haemorrhage if she fails to continue with the tablets. (That is evidenced).

OP needs expert medical advice now, if she feels she won't continue the treatment.

I'm not a medical professional, hence the advice above.

@EarringsandLipstick I see. Well the medical professional OP already spoke to apparently advised her not to take the rest of the pills, 🤷🏼‍♀️ so your (unqualified) medial opinion is already apparently out of step with that advice.

Nobody here is trying to promote a pro abortion agenda, people are only trying to offer the OP suggestions based on her expressed wishes to continue the pregnancy.

Anyways, as previously mentioned OP I have no direct knowledge or experience, but I would suggest contacting 111 again or going to A&E , or calling a helpline and expressing your desire to explore any options that might potentially be available. xxx

*pro life/ anti abortion agenda that obviously should have said 🤦🏼‍♀️

I think it's important to appreciate that abortion guilt is very common and most women who terminate experience it to some degree. It's a normal emotional reaction to an abortion and does not mean that termination was the wrong choice.

Were you given any form of counsel before hand Op? I think it would help you greatly to request further counselling.

I agree, the suggestions of obtaining progesterone are dubious. It's not generally prescribed by NHS doctors as its chances of reversing a chemical miscarriage are incredibly low and unproven in studies. There is a risk of serious damage to the foetus or you in continuing the pregnancy.

OP already spoke to apparently advised her not to take the rest of the pills, 🤷🏼‍♀️ so your (unqualified) medial opinion is already apparently out of step with that advice.

I suspect it was "don't take the rest and speak with the clinic on Monday". Medical advice presented to a stressed patient is rarely properly understood.

What a rubbish situation 😞 If it was me I would just go to my nearest A&E asap to be seen by the early pregnancy unit. There are so many factors here, please don’t take anything yourself, go in and have something prescribed if there’s anything worth taking

Hi Op.

After reading previous advice it does look like it's very unlikely you will be able to prevent the abortion now unfortunately.
I don't think the person you spoke to was very helpful however, may be worth ringing again but as others have said I'm not sure if you will need to take the second pill now to prevent further complications.

There's always a chance of course but we are not experts, hope you are ok I think you do really need to speak to someone tomorrow about your options.

I agree you need to seek some medical advice asap. However, and I realise this sounds harsh, as the pregnancy is very unlikely to survive, you should think about what that means for you, and whether it would be better to continue with the abortion now rather than go through a miscarriage with possible additional health implications later.

And whether, if the pregnancy were to survive, you would feel equipped to have a severely disabled child or terminate the pregnancy at a much later date which would be far more traumatic.

I’ve never had an abortion so I absolutely don’t have a pro abortion agenda here. But the truth is you’ve most likely already lost the pregnancy, and the advice to reverse that is extremely dubious and is pedalled by pro life groups.

Am sorry you’re going through this.

Sorry you're going through this. Can you contact your nearest EPAU and ask for advice there? I'm praying for a miracle for you

Well the medical professional OP already spoke to apparently advised her not to take the rest of the pills, 🤷🏼‍♀️ so your (unqualified) medial opinion is already apparently out of step with that advice.

And this kind of shitty posting is why I was trying not to counter the misinformation people googling ineffectively were sharing.

OP did say a gynaecologist on 111 said to wait & see. While not doubting OP, this sounds really really strange & I wonder if OP possibly misunderstood.

I'm not a medical professional but I am an academic researcher with access to academic based literature, which I was able to review.

I'm certainly able to know that SPUC not a source that should be relied on here.

I don't want to derail the thread further so I'm going to leave it now. I hope OP seeks help.

My link above to a reliable trial & the medical contraindications faced by some women shows why this is urgent.