A surgical abortion.
By anonymous on 06/03/2015
I am a 37 year old single mom and found myself pregnant again with a man whom I hadn't known for very long. He was supportive but said he wasn't ready for a child. I struggled with the decision to abort for a good time, and after many sleepless nights, I realized I couldn't give the baby the life it deserved. I was stretched to the limit just caring for my daughter. I booked an appointment at Planned Parenthood for a surgical abortion because it seemed like it would be a less painful and traumatic option. They performed an ultrasound 2 days prior and determined me to be almost 8 weeks. The day of my appointment I was terrified, but the staff, nurses and doctors were so kind and compassionate, it helped ease the whole experience. I was given Xanax, hydrocodone, and Ibuprofen, but I was so nervous, I don't think it even helped. Let me tell you though...the anticipation is much worse than the procedure. I felt strong cramping when the doctor dilated my cervix, but it was definitely tolerable. On a pain scale of 1 to 10, it was probably a 6. They then used the aspiration technique, and I barely felt that at all. Before, I knew it, it was over. It took maybe 5 minutes. I felt an overwhelming sense of relief, and tears flowed out of my eyes. If I had to give advice, I would say be kind to yourself, you are not a bad person, only you know your situation, and don't let anyone sway you either way. 1 in 3 women have abortions, so you are definitely not alone. And if you are scared about the pain, it really wasn't that bad. I've had periods that are much worse. I hope this helps anyone going through this :) 