Today I had a surgical abortion. I was awake with local anaesthetic.

By anonymous on 20/10/2014
Today I had a surgical abortion. I was awake with local anaesthetic.
If you're reading this like me I looked everywhere for information, people's personal experiences so I could prepare myself for what to expect. I had loads of different expectations.
I went into the room, was greeted by a nurse, given paracetamol and a tablet that dissolves to soften the cervix.
Then I went into the theatre room. They inserted the speculum which is really uncomfortable but not painful at all. Then injected me 3 times.. in my honest opinion these were like a tiny pinch.

They then started the procedure. It was terrible!

From when they put the vacuum tube in I was in total pain. I did not expect it to be so bad. I had gas and air that really helped, I was definitely not prepared for this pain, very very intense. I thought after 3 labours I would have coped a lot better. Loads of people are different, I don't want to put people off.. just want to make them aware of all the different possibilities.
The whole thing lasted not even 10 minutes, but seemed like a life time. They then scanned my tummy to make sure everything was clear and fitted a coil.
The pain after was like bad period cramps. It wore off within the next hour but was still bad.
The nurses were really friendly and very supportive.
I don't want to make this a story about me and my choices, hence the short story. I just want to help people like me who look for information about the whole thing.

Editor's Comment

A surgical abortion under local anaesthetic is a very painful experience because although the cervix is given a local anaesthetic, there are parts of the womb that cannot be anaesthetised. It is less common to have a termination in this way, and most women are offered sedation. The memory of this experience may keep coming back to you and I think if you get flashbacks, or bad dreams it would help to talk it through with someone. Many women find that post abortion support helps them to come to terms with a difficult experience, for post abortion support.

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