Positive Experience - Abortion at 5 weeks

[Snowygal2012]

Hi All

I thought I would share my experience of a medical abortion at 5 weeks using EMAH method.

I am 41 , so can imagine the surprise when I found out I was pregnant. My partner and I both were of the decision , this wasn't right for us and went down the EMAH road.

There are so many horror stories online which even at my age , filled me with fear. Please don't let these stories get in your head.

We used the Sandyford in Glasgow and firstly the staff were amazing. It turned out that I only had a sac and pregnancy wasn't viable.

So took the first tablet at home on a Wednesday , minimal side effects (period like cramping) , and the second tablets on Friday morning. Started getting cramping within the hour of the misoprostol being inserted. Bleeding started about 3hrs later when the cramps became a lot stronger . Could have made this easy on myself by taking painkillers but I knew that there wasn't time for them to kick in.
Passed one blood clot about the size of golf ball . Then the cramping calmed down.

Took the second set of misoprostol orally and it wasn't till later that night , a smaller blood clot passed but this time, the cramping wasn't as bad.

As soon as everything passed , bleeding was light and has been like that gradually reducing. I am now 3 days post abortion and 💯 back to myself. Liners are only needed now for the bleeding. Was over at a friend's house for dinner last night too

So apart from a rough couple of hours when passing the first clot , everything was simple . Took the day off sick from work but thinking back, I probably could have worked from home.

So ladies , please don't worry and let googled horror stories get in your head. Listen to your medical professionals .

Happy to private message on this if anyone needs reassurance

Take care x

Hey, I'm currently in the middle of this process. Took the first tablet at 11.00, I'm terrified and heartbroken.
This is obviously a decision not taken lightly but I'm so worried it's going to go wrong. I already have 3 children and have suffered immensely in the past with ante/postnatal depression and I just can't put myself through it again.
Thanks for posting this, I've seen too many horror stories even on here so this was a small relief.

I really hope everything goes smoothly for you . I am 9 days post and the bleeding is gone. A little bit of spotting when I go the gym. Please make time for yourself afterwards as your hormones will be going crazy. I was 100% certian on my desicion (and mother nature had already made up her mind anyway) but still had a couple of days of sadness . Keep track of your bleeding and must stress , it will be similar to what YOUR period is like , not another person's.
Good luck xx

Hey! Currently almost 4 hours post the first dose of misoprostol and nothing but a few small clots when I go to the loo. Some very mild cramping. I'm so worried it's not working. Going to put the final dose in 20 ish minutes. I just want this over now!
Thanks for your reply, I really hope I can get back to normal soon.

Hey! @Snowygal2012 how long after taking misoprostol did you experience bleeding? I took my my first 4 tablets at half 8 this morning and then another 2 at half 12 and I haven’t had bleeding or cramps yet. Really starting to worry this isn’t going to work. I would be 4+6 weeks along just now.

I was bang on 4hrs before I started bleeding and even then it wasn't as heavy as some of the horror stories. Took about 5hrs to get really intense cramping which made me go to the toilet and that's when it passed .

Have you taken pain relief which could be masking the pain ? My cramps were manageable without pain relief and I was a week further on than u. A 20 min bout of horrendous cramping and then back to manageable. Didn't help that I had the dog worried and jumping all over me 🤣

I haven't had to take any pain relief as the slight cramp I've had was short lived. I'm just confused why nothing has happened yet. I've had 3 previous miscarriages a few years back whilst trying to conceive my 2 kids I currently have so I know what to expect but the fact I've not a drop of blood concerns me. If nothing by the morning I'll give the hospital I went to a ring for some advice.

Hey LoveRainbow,
I'm currently going through the same as you and I'm roughly 4-5 weeks. Took 1st lot of miso today at 10.30am - not much happened beyond minor cramps, took 2nd lot of miso at around 3pm ish and although I've had slightly more painful cramps nothing major. I have had some minor bleeding but only on the toilet and when I push.
I've had previous miscarriages so was expecting more than this.
I have spoken to gynae ward over the phone and they've been really lovely and said that at this gestation they wouldn't expect much bleeding. Did you have a scan or is this via pills in the post?
I'm having some minor one sided pain so I've been booked in for a scan tomorrow just to eliminate the chance of ectopic.
She said that they say 24 hours if you haven't had a scan as they like to get you in to make sure it isn't ectopic. But if you've had a scan and they've ruled out an ectopic they allow for 5 days for the bleeding to start and the TOP to complete.
I think what I got from the conversation is, as it's early it can take a little while for things to start and it may not be immediately apparent that it has worked. Which is super frustrating.
I hope you're okay lovely. I'm personally finding this super rubbish. I already have 3 children, one of which is high needs autistic and the youngest is 18 months old. I just can't have anymore. I've not told anyone I'm doing this, not even OH (although he knows something is wrong and I'm not feeling well-he hasn't pushed for answers) I just didn't want that added emotional factor opinion until it's done. I know he'll be okay with it though.

Hi @FlyFreeBirdy - it's such a worrying situation to be in isn't it. It's a hard enough decision to make in the first place but when it seems like it's not working it's just added stress. I still don't have bleeding or any pain. No I haven't had a scan, got a positive test 5 days ago, had my phone consultation 4 days ago, went to hospital for my pills 3 days ago and started the process 2 days ago. The unit within the hospital is closed on weekends though so I have no one to call until tomorrow morning for advice. I also have an autistic child at home and my youngest has a few surgeries ahead of him so this was the best decision for us a family too. Really stressing out here though and could cry I'm that anxious.

Hey Rainbow,
I really empathise, I feel like I'm going out of my mind. I just need this to be over it's so incredibly stressful.
The likelihood of it not working at this gestation though is less than 1% if that helps at all?
I haven't got much bleeding beyond what I would class as spotting on my normal period so I'm feeling really stressed about it. I'm worrying about the possibility of ectopic but they are extremely rare.
Is there not a 24 hour helpline you can call?
The advice I have been given from the nurse is; Try relax, be kind to yourself it's already hard enough, come to the appointment tomorrow (in your case call them first thing tomorrow) and if you start displaying any of the following symptoms go straight to A&E

• Severe one sided pain
• Pain in shoulder/neck/ribs
• Severe bleeding
• Dizziness/faintness
• Shortness of breath etc

She said its very unlikely it won't work at this gestation it just might take a little longer for it to become apparent that it has worked. Which is just frustrating but it is what it is. If you want to message while we both go through this I'd love that because this is absolutely horrendous. Currently distracting myself with Despicable me 4 snuggled on the sofa with my 3 littles. Tonight is going to be hard. I don't think I'll get much sleep.

I've just started to have some brown tinged mucus come away so hoping this is the start of it for me. I've been terrified tbh reading all the horror stories on here so like you I've not slept much myself. It's such an isolating situation as you feel you can't talk to anyone for fear of being judged 😔. Thankfully I got the implant fitted 3 days ago so I don't have to worry about burst condoms again landing me in this position.

I think it's important to remember that people will always share their horror stories but never their success stories. Even though the success stories far out weigh the horror. It is very isolating 😞

Yep totally agree . Sometimes it's like doomsday on the Internet.

Wishing all you ladies the best with your journeys xx