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Pregnancy choices

This topic is for sharing experiences of pregnancy choices; to debate the ethics of termination, visit our Politics or Chat forums.

Original poster

Can anyone tell me what terminations were like in the 80s?

29 replies

penguinwithasuitcase · 25/07/2021 18:56

My mother always told me she was put under anaesthetic for a termination before she had me, and that they couldn't bring her round again. She has form for 'stretching the truth', shall we say, and based on my knowledge of modern methods, this sounds pretty extreme.

Would this have meant an incredibly late-stage abortion, or was it common practice for the time?

OP posts:
CornishGem1975 · 25/07/2021 18:58

Can't speak for the 80s but I had a termination (at about 11 weeks) in the 90s and I was given a general anaesthetic.

Original poster
penguinwithasuitcase · 25/07/2021 19:06

@CornishGem1975

Can't speak for the 80s but I had a termination (at about 11 weeks) in the 90s and I was given a general anaesthetic.
Wow. So not unlikely, then.

Another moment of realising how far this has all come... and how much I take for granted. Thanks for posting, @CornishGem1975.

OP posts:
CornishGem1975 · 26/07/2021 08:49

No problem. This was late 90s and it was pretty standard I believe, I wasn't given a choice but most abortions then were surgical. Didn't even need to have anyone with you - general anaesthetic, wake up and then take yourself home!

Icantrememberthenameoftheartis · 29/07/2021 22:59

I had a termination in 91 under a general anaesthetic. I was 9 weeks pregnant and wasn’t offered any alternative to a general. It seems strange now but 30 years ago in 91 getting a termination was still a big deal and I can’t recall a local anaesthetic being an option and abortion pills didn’t exist.

Thewolvesarerunningagain · 29/07/2021 23:05

I had a termination in the early 90s. GA only thing offered and, as pp has said it was take yourself home. I was in my teens and it was like a factory line. Came to in a room full of other women and girls who had had same procedure, given standard leaflets, standard combined pills, standard NHS lumpy pad and ushered out once we’d all eaten a biscuit and drunk some squash. Looking back it was just grim and without dignity.

NeonK · 29/07/2021 23:09

Same here. Termination in 1990, under GA at about 9/10 weeks. I had to stay overnight, although I can't remember if it was the night before or the night after (I was young, hadn't told my mum and remember needing a cover story for staying away overnight during the week). Was told to tell the other patients I was there for a D&C as some were there for pregnancy/fertility issues.

Icantrememberthenameoftheartis · 29/07/2021 23:10

Theeolvezarerunningagain. Reading your message brings back such horrible memories, my experience was exactly the same as yours.

macdhui · 29/07/2021 23:15

I worked in a large NHS hospital in London in the early 80’s on a gynae ward and also in gynae theatre. Everyone who had a termination had a general anaesthetic.

fallfallfall · 29/07/2021 23:17

i worked in a hospital based pregnancy termination unit in 78.
early gestation d&c's with nothing but a hand hold (don't want them coming back).
some under general if later than 12 weeks.
saline with late term (again no anesthetic).
on a whole general anesthetics were some strong not so well developed set of medications and taking a long time to wake from one wasn't unusual. part of the reason hospital stays were longer for just about everything (5-7 days stay post c-section partially because the OR day was spent recovering from the drugs in a semi stuperous state.

Getabloominmoveon · 29/07/2021 23:29

Yes, me too. General anaesthetic and then on a ward for a day or so in central London hospital

ODFOx · 29/07/2021 23:32

Early 90s I took time off work to be with Bestie: general anaesthetic at 14 weeksish, home on the same day. No further support or help. I ended up calling and ambulance on the 3rd day: she had sepsis.

Bimblybomeyelash · 29/07/2021 23:33

GA for me in 2000. 11 weeks pregnant I think, but it could have been less , I can’t quite remember.

Nat6999 · 29/07/2021 23:56

I don't think medical terminations with pills came in until early 2000's. There was a cottage type hospital near where I live that purely dealt with terminations & hysterectomies & some of my friends worked as HCA's on the wards, like other posters have said it was like a production line, in, theatre with GA & out next morning, no aftercare or counselling.

CiaoForNiao · 30/07/2021 00:06

I had a termination under GA in the early 00s. 2 in fact. No idea how many weeks I was. I try not to remember. (Both were a result of CSA)

Thewolvesarerunningagain · 30/07/2021 00:28

Sorry Icantrememberthenameoftheartis it was a freaking grim time. I’m sorry I’ve brought back bad memories for you. I never processed what I’d been through only buried it hard so apologies if I have been triggering, that wasn’t my intention.

TheDaydreamBelievers · 30/07/2021 00:37

I know this isnt exactly what you are asking but they still offer general anaesthetic for d&c/ERPC surgery past about 10 weeks pregnant, whether it be for missed misscarriage or abortion.

CornishGem1975 · 30/07/2021 09:15

It was a pretty grim experioence when you look back on it. I was 17 and told nobody but my boyfriend went alone. I'd hate that for my daughter.

Also, anything could have gone wrong and I would have been too scared to speak up or tell anyone.

I'd hope things have moved on. Imagine having a GA in the morning as a 17 year old and being sent to make your own way home in the afternoon

ZealAndArdour · 30/07/2021 09:18

I had a termination under GA in 2013. It’s definitely still being done to this day!

Babdoc · 30/07/2021 09:20

I’m a retired anaesthetist. All terminations were under GA in my hospital in the 80’s. They were done after the elective gynae ops and listed as STOPs - suction termination of pregnancy.
We were allowed to refuse to do them if we had religious objections, so I did a disproportionate number to cover for my Catholic colleague.

Eleoura · 30/07/2021 09:28

My mum needed a D&C in 1981 from a missed MC. She had a full anaesthetic and I think stayed at least 1 night in hospital.

Medical terminations with pills (mifeprostone) didn't start in the UK till I think 1991, but earlier in France and US.

tubbycustardtummyache · 30/07/2021 09:28

I worked in gynae in the late 90s. By then women were offered the pessaries for early pregnancies (around 6-8 weeks from memory) then surgical termination after that. I think medical termination was a fairly new thing at the time though.
I think in the 80s surgical termination would have been the only choice

Iggly · 30/07/2021 09:28

@TheDaydreamBelievers

I know this isnt exactly what you are asking but they still offer general anaesthetic for d&c/ERPC surgery past about 10 weeks pregnant, whether it be for missed misscarriage or abortion.
Yes I had one for a missed miscarriage at 11 weeks
olidora63 · 30/07/2021 09:39

Surgical termination in 1981 and 1986. I guess there wasn’t any other choice but I think even now I would rather GA than taking the tablet. Was treated well both times from what I recall and given counselling both times. I was about 6 weeks for both.

Maryann1975 · 30/07/2021 09:49

I had a missed mc mid 2000s and had a general anaesthetic in an NHS hospital for an ERPC (which I assume is a similar procedure as for an abortion?) I was told that after me, the next patient In was for an abortion (confidentiality obviously not the strong point) and it was the same procedure. So a GA was still a thing 15 years ago for that kind of operation.

statetrooperstacey · 30/07/2021 10:00

I had one in the late 80s, I was 15, it was horrible. pessary first which was pushed in so far it felt like it was going to come out somewhere near my tonsils. Loads of blood and huge clots Given pethidine, then a GA for the surgical part. I was 7 weeks.. the contractions ( for several hours) I had after the pessary but before the GA were exactly the same as the intense contractions in labour. And yes to the pp who said they were encouraged to lie about why they were there. The terminations were done in the gynae ward which was also attached to the maternity unit. So you could hear babies crying, which added an extra layer of awful.