I have just read the story of the 31 year old lady and her experience with the Medical Abortion.
By anonymous on 09/04/2009
I have just read the story of the 31 year old lady and her experience with the Medical Abortion. I have to say that my experience was not quite as horrific and I did go to Marie Stopes. I am at University, you see, and don't have a GP and the Family Planning would have taken two weeks to get me an appointment to get a referral which I was not prepared to do. So Marie Stopes arranged a consultation within one day and I had an appointment within three days to start the process. I discovered I was pregnant after having an awful pain in my uterus which was thought to be an ectopic pregnancy. After being checked, it wasn't... "It is a leaking cyst, oh, and you are pregnant...’ So I was already in pain when I got to my first appointment. The first tablet gave me cramps (on top of the cyst pain) and an upset tummy. I started bleeding from this medication... ironically just as I attended the clinic for my second appointment.
The second medication was given and it was to dissolve between your cheek and gum as this is safer. (The vaginal method has resulted in a number of fatalities in North America...due to infection). The tablets took almost an hour to dissolve and the cramping started almost as soon as the tablets hit my gums.... The pain/cramps are strong but tolerable... I had lots of painkillers and it barely touched the pain... My hot water bottle gave the most relief... I had consistent pain for about eleven hours... which was a lot. The shivers that I had as a side effect proved a great relief from the pain... almost distracting me. I would not look at the toilet for the clots, but at such an early stage would be hard to spot anyway.
I definitely would not criticise Marie Stopes method of sending you home (actually you can stay in the recovery room to pass the pregnancy if you wish) but I would rather be in the comfort of my own home... Whilst it sounds scary when you read the literature on Medical Abortion, it is much safer in early pregnancy. The last thing you want is a perforated uterus - that may ruin your chances of having a child when the time is right!
Editor’s note: Thanks for writing in…You are absolutely right to say that non-invasive methods of abortion are safer than invasive ones that may give rise to infection. This is also why medical abortions are now favoured over surgical ones. It sounds like your experience was physically quite challenging, however. Women seem to vary in their pain responses to the medication used.
I wonder how you are feeling about the deeper meaning of this experience now that it’s over…going through the procedure is one thing, but you don’t say much about what led you to make this choice or how you feel about it now. If you ever need to talk it through, now or at any stage in your life, please get in touch. We’d be happy to help.
