Is a medical abortion better or a surgical abortion?

By anonymous on 10/04/2009
Is a medical abortion better or a surgical abortion? Personally I have gone through the surgical abortion at five weeks, I had no pain relief and the nurse said it would be like strong period pains which would last for a few minutes. Honestly, it lasted forever, and the feeling was a pain I can't describe like something (my baby) being ripped out of me. Although the staff at Marie Stopes were very helpful and sympathetic, afterwards I felt sweaty, weak and numb both physically and emotionally and asked for strong pain relief. Personally, I would not recommend any abortion. I had wanted the medical abortion but had heard some awful cases so after a consultation with the doctor, opted for the surgical abortion.

Although I had no physical or health problems, as Marie Stopes seems quite experienced in dealing with abortions, the psychological scars I think will be there forever. I have started the Journey, and I honestly think CareConfidential is doing a great job. I would urge anyone who is reading this and debating which abortion is better (sadly for me it's too late), but I would say no type of abortion is better! I think there should be stricter laws around abortion and that women should received detailed counselling, perhaps similar to the Journey, when they first discover they are pregnant and don't know what to do. I think there are so many factors that influence us to make this decision especially other people and a one-off counselling session will not help most women make their mind up to not have an abortion.

Editor’s note: Thanks for sharing your story with us…It is very important for every woman contemplating abortion to be fully and accurately informed about the procedures, both medical and surgical ones, and to be given adequate time and space to assess not only their feelings about their circumstances and the difficulties that may occur, but also their deeper emotional responses to ending a pregnancy. There are many factors involved in these decisions, as you say. The urgency and complexity of situations means that women say they are sure, but they are often suppressing deeper feelings on account of the pressure of those circumstances. It’s from this part of us – the heart - that post-abortion pain surfaces.

Thank you for your positive comments about the work of CareConfidential. Our crisis pregnancy support involves helping a woman take into account the messages from both her head and heart, as well as offering information about all the options, so that she can make an informed decision rather than one based on fear, panic or pressure. Thank you for sharing – we hope you are continuing to find healing and recovery from your experience.

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