Despite the pain, my BPAS medical abortion at 6 weeks 5 days wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be
I’m 20 and found out I was pregnant after taking a test 3 days after my due period (needless to say I felt different before I took the test so it’s like I just knew). I just cried, I knew I made my decision there and then and I just called my boyfriend and he calmed me down and told me we’re going to get through this. Neither of us is ready to be parents, not at this age (I get that everyone is different).
I phoned BPAS
The next day I called BPAS (British Pregnancy Advisory Service) and the lady on the phone was amazing, she didn’t judge and she was comforting throughout the whole phone call and got me booked in for my consultation and treatment. I went for medical abortion[1].
[You'll find more stories involving abortion at BPAS and other abortion providers on this page.]
BPAS consultation and treatment
2 weeks later I arrived for my consultation and treatment. I was so nervous but knowing I wasn’t the only girl in there made me at ease a little. My boyfriend came with me, holding my hand throughout the whole process. The only time I had to be on my own was the actual consultation which only lasted 5-10 minutes.
We were there for 5 hours but this is due to them being understaffed which is not their fault and they did the best they could.
Internal scan
I went in for my scan and I had to have an internal scan and I was measuring at 6 weeks 5 days. Me and my boyfriend didn’t want to look at the screen. This section didn’t hurt in the slightest, so please don’t be scared about an internal ultrasound!
Medical abortion tablets
This next part was over pretty quick, I took my first tablet and then the midwife inserted 4 tablets vaginally and then I was allowed to go home once I signed some paperwork and was given a box of codeine, antibiotics and a pregnancy test for 2 weeks later.
Initial light cramping
I got home with my boyfriend and for about 2 hours I didn’t feel anything apart from light cramping, close to period pains and I don’t get strong period cramps anyway so this was okay for me. I was worried because I still wasn’t bleeding at this point.
I want to be positive about the pain - but I can't
About another hour later the pain kicked in. And I want to be positive about this but unfortunately, I can’t but everyone is different. It is the worst pain I have ever been in my life, I was screaming, my boyfriend was doing everything he could bless him.
I was on all fours, rolling around, grabbing things to squeeze, it was horrible. I passed out a few times due to the pain, but I was only out for around 10 seconds or so. I thought having some ibuprofen would ease it but it came to the point where I was begging for the codeine.
I needed the codeine
At this point, I was at the toilet every 5 minutes with bad diarrhoea and contractions but still no bleeding. Once I emptied my bowels and my diarrhoea stopped, it was just the horrific contractions. The codeine kicked in and I felt so sleepy, I ended up falling asleep every once in a while but I could still feel some blunt cramping.
I finally began bleeding
I woke up and went to the toilet and when I wiped I finally saw some blood. This gave me a huge sense of relief knowing that it is working. Now, I wasn’t bleeding like you see in movies when people get their throats slit, it’s not that intense. It’s just like a heavy period and because I was laid down the majority of the time nothing was really on my pad as it was built up and came out when I went to the toilet.
I took my antibiotics before bed and ended up waking up at 1:30 am and took some more codeine and slept until 8 am.
Today I'm tender and still bleeding
That was last night. Today I have some dull aches and I feel a bit tender and bruised down below and in my uterus. I’m still bleeding and have passed what I believe is clots and tissue. So far I don’t know if I have passed the sac, I’m not sure if I’m supposed to know when I have or if I can feel it so I’m just a bit unsure but this could take a few days.
Other than the pain, it wasn't as scary as I thought
Besides the pain I was in which everyone gets different levels of, it wasn’t as much as a scary experience than I thought. I would advise having someone with you at all times just for comfort and support, but please don’t be worried about anything.
Only you can know what’s right for you and only you can make those decisions!
Terms mentioned in this story
- Medical Abortion
Medical abortion refers to the taking of medication to end a pregnancy and usually takes place over two stages.
The first stage is where a medicine called mifepristone stops a hormone that allows the pregnancy to continue.
The second stage, usually 24-48 hours later, is where a second medicine, called misoprostol, is used to cause the lining of the womb to break down causing bleeding and the loss of the pregnancy.
Medical abortion doesn't require surgery but sometimes not all of the tissue is passed and may require a small surgical procedure to remove further remnants of pregnancy tissue.
Sources:
