An early medical abortion
By anonymous on 10/06/2014
I've been on the pill for 7 years now and in hindsight I had become complacent, which led me to missing a pill (not uncommon)and then being 5 days late (which is a first for me!) followed by a trip to the GP then a phone call to the Pregnancy Advisory Service with my other half. We had discussed it in length and decided for various reasons continuing was not a viable option for us and to go for an early medical abortion. Even the phone service was reassuring and friendly at Stoke PAS, followed by an appointment within 2 days and I was explained what would happen at the initial consultation. At the appointment I was provided with a numbered card so my name would never be used except by the PAS team in the medical rooms. I had four stages to my appointment- scan (where I saw and heard nothing thankfully), the blood test and health checks, the consultation with the manager who talked me through my options, what would happen and booked me in at times around my work and family life and then finally on to the doctor to sign it all off. The whole process was smooth, friendly and supportive and I left feeling relieved and unafraid of what was to come. I had my first pill yesterday morning followed by my second appointment this afternoon when it was very quiet (felt very private and calming) and I was brought home by my partner and waited on hand and food all evening as the second stage is taking affect! Despite stacking up on sanitary towels, co-codamol, hot water bottles, blankets and ice cold drinks it is a far less eventful evening than I had prepared for. It sounds odd with this still being a taboo subject, but from making the appointment until I completed the feedback form when it asked me about my dignity had I even considered some women can be made to feel less dignified when going through something like this. Especially when it is the medical team's job to help you. The point I'm making is that if you are confident with your decision and you are making a decision for the right reasons, whether you choose to share those reasons wholly with someone else or not you should not be made to feel any less dignified. And if you are not confident, find a good service to help you make those decisions rather than feeling pressured into anything. I am very lucky to have had a positive experience because of the medical staff that supported me over the past week and I suppose the downside to this is that with a time pressure on medical abortions we do not have the luxury to go out and ask for another service if we do not feel happy with the service we have initially received. Praise the good service, report the bad service!