I had a medical abortion today at 6 weeks pregnancy and 30-yrs-old
I had a medical abortion[1] today at 6 weeks into my pregnancy. I am 30 and have a child and being in fresh relationship we decided for medical abortion (pill).
Everything went pretty smoothly. I went to my GP who arranged an appointment at the local hospital for me. It took about a week for me to go there.
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They did an ultrasound scan and filled in some paperwork and gave me a new 2 appointments in a week's time for the abortion to take place.
On day 1 it is pretty quick. You will get a pill which is a hormone that will stop the fetus heart beating... sounds horrible I know but that is what it is.
The 2nd day I came really early to the hospital like 8.30 they took me to the room with my own toilet.
They explained to me that every time I go to the toilet I have to use these paper pans for catching pee, blood, poo and even the toilet paper you can't throw away.
A nurse came and inserted 4 tablets vaginally and a suppository into my bum: one is pain relief and the second antibiotics. They told me to drink lots of water and move all the time.
I had to rest for 30 minutes for tablets to dissolve and after that, I started to walk while watching tv....nothing happened for about 2 hours.
They made me a cup of coffee and I went regularly for a pee but no cramps and no bleeding. The nurses kept asking me, 'do you feel any cramps etc...?' I began to think this is a breeze.
Shortly after 10 o'clock, I had a little bit of blood on my toilet paper and it was just starting... I began to drip and bleed properly. I got cramps and pain but it was all bearable so I refused painkillers as I wanted to feel it properly... it is just me I am a tough cookie.
Just before 12 o'clock, I felt so sick to my stomach I had to crawl into bed and rest for a moment and I felt this urge to vomit. I ran to the toilet and the whole water content of my stomach went in heaps... and I almost never vomit in my life! It was so bad I got tears in my eyes. I called the nurse and she found me lying on the bathroom floor totally drained.
As she left I wanted to go to the toilet just to give it another push and suddenly I felt this lump coming out and there it was, a red fleshy placenta[2] with tiny amniotic sac.
I couldn't see any fetus as at 6 weeks it's the size of a rice grain and maybe it is better this way. I called the nurse telling her that I thought I had passed it and she confirmed that I was right.
Shortly after that, I was advised to rest with my legs up and I was discharged shortly after that. My boyfriend picked me up and took me home.
I thought I would be fine but I felt drained and tired as never in my life. I had cramps for several hours and bright red bleeding.
You should definitely let somebody go with you as it is very physically demanding. My boyfriend was very supportive and amazing, I love him so much for being there for me.
I am still recovering as it is only today and almost 9 pm, but I feel much better now. I still feel a little bit pregnant but the nurse said I will feel like it for a couple more days. Anyway, I am happy it went so quickly and I can recover.
I hope my experience will help others to mentally prepare for what is coming in case they need to undergo the same thing.
Terms mentioned in this story
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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.
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Placenta
The placenta is an organ that develops in the uterus (womb) during pregnancy. It provides oxygen and nutrients to a growing baby and removes waste products from the baby's blood. It attaches to the wall of the uterus, and the baby's umbilical cord comes from it. The placenta is usually attached to the top, side, front or back of the uterus but in rare cases, might attach in the lower uterine region (placenta previa).
The placenta keeps an unborn baby's blood supply separate from the mother's blood supply and provides a link between the two. The link allows the placenta to carry out functions that your unborn baby can't perform for itself.
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