Can someone explain abortion pills process please?

[Whatsthatspookynoise]

I literally got pregnant just over 2 weeks ago, so that makes me about 4 weeks and a few days pregnant.

I've decided to get an abortion due to having severe hyperemesis during my previous pregnancies.

I am having the pills sent via post and I believe they are coming today. I know there will be instructions, but it's one of those things where I've over focused and my mind keeps going blank. I take the first pill in my mouth?
How comes they say "wait 24-48 hours"? That's quite a big gap. When should I take them? Is it only the 4 tablets I use?
When should I take the painkillers they gave me?

I'm soooo confused.

I'm scared I'm going to be in agony. 😔

Didn't they explain everything to you?

Who is your provider?

You take the first pill - these stop the pregnancy hormones.

You wait 24-48 hours later,

You then take the remaining. Normally vaginally. These soften and dilate the cervix so you can pass the pregnancy. This is the painful part so you may want to take painkillers an hour before.

This will have heavy bleeding and a bit of pain, that will last for around a day or 2. It will then get less painful and heavy.

Hope you're okay

As PPs have said, first one orally then a day or so later you take the 4 vaginally. I was naive in thinking I wouldn't need the pain killers but I'm not going to lie, OP, it is horribly painful. As others have said, take the pain killers with enough chance for them to kick in before the 4.

Hope you're okay

You'll be alright, just follow the instructions. The reason they say (eg) 24-48 hours is not because there's some secret midpoint that you have to guess, it's because any time between those two points is fine and they want to give you control over your own body. It's natural that you're anxious, but that's what this is, natural anxiousness manifesting. And you will have the pain medication there for when you need it. You might not need any. Your body will tell you if and when, but you will have it there just in case.

For me, because I've had the procedure too, a hot water bottle helped the most. It's a very unique sort of pain that weirdly is really helped by heat to the tummy. There is a lot of pain, don't be thinking you can pop to the corner shop or anything, you won't. But it is bearable pain. It also, strangely, completely disappears afterwards. I know everyone is different but I was 100% the next day. I hope it is the same for you x

This is what I did at 6/7 weeks;

Monday 8.30- took pill 1 orally. Carried on my day as normal.

Tuesday 8.30- 4 pills vaginally and 2 ibuprofen.

Cramping started about an hour later shortly followed by bleeding. Within an hour of bleeding starting I passed the pregnancy.

12pm - took 2 pills orally due to bleeding.

For me (2 previous DC) the pain was far less than the first 5-6 periods after having my children and was the exact same pain as a period. Continued with ibuprofen and didn’t need the codeine. No pain the next day at all, continued light-medium bleeding for 5 days.

For me, the process was a lot less of an issue than I thought it would be. Possibly already having had children made a difference. I don’t really know. I am not good with pain but the whole thing was a non-issue really. I stayed at home the next day just in case the bleeding was heavy but it wasn’t and I returned to work the day after that.

Good luck Op, I hope things are as straightforward for you as they were for me.

Thank you everyone. Before I used the 4 pills, I was shaking so hard I struggled to open them. I'm 2 hours in, flat on my back with a hot water bottle waiting for something to happen. Still very scared, but there's no going back now.

I hope everything goes okay OP. Thinking of you x