I booked an abortion at Marie Stopes straight away - I don't believe in having a family just because you fall pregnant

I recently found out I was pregnant unexpectedly and unfortunately it was also unplanned. I made the decision to have an abortion straight away as I simply don't believe in having a family just because you found yourself in that situation.

I had a telephone consultation with Marie Stopes and they just check you're medically well enough and emotionally stable to have an abortion. I was booked into a clinic and due to a previous appointment being cancelled, I then had to have a surgical procedure as medical cannot be done after 9 weeks and 3 days. (Just remember, they don't count the conception date as the start of your pregnancy, they count it back from your last period so it's possible you're more of the way through your term than you think).

I was given a scan and told how many weeks gone I was. (For some reason I asked to look at it, just out of curiosity. I don't know what I was expecting to see but the foetus was more formed than I thought it would be and that shocked me a little).

I then had to wait for an hour or so outside the surgery area. I couldn't eat/drink for six hours before hand so I felt pretty rough. Then when I was ready to be seen, they got me to undress and wrapped me in a sarong.

I was given the choice of what painkillers I wanted (you can have an injection or you can have a suppository whilst sedated - I've read that the injection hurts so I chose the suppository).

When they brought me into the theatre, I was introduced to the doctors and the anaesthetist and told their names. Then I was put on the bed and the only thing that really hurt me was the injection of the sedative. However I didn't have much time to think about that pain because I think it knocked me out about 20 seconds later!

When I woke up I had some cramps and the nurses explained what bleeding was/wasn't normal. They gave me a hot drink and some cookies and keep you there until the anaesthetic has worn off.

It's been a few days now and I've just had to wear sanitary pads and take my antibiotics. I've felt some cramps (normally when I pee) and the antibiotics gave me diahorrea for 24hrs but I generally feel ok. I'm starting to return to a normal size and I've been able to recover without taking any painkillers.

I wouldn't recommend you drive home, I felt a bit dopey for the day.

It wasn't necessarily an easy experience but was the right choice for me, and a lot less painful physically than I was expecting. I would choose surgical over medical on the basis that ultimately, the after effects are less and they explain at the clinic what those effects of medical abortion can be and they sounded a bit gruesome!

All in all, I would recommend telling someone you know won't be judgemental - it was nice to be able to confide in someone and not entirely keep it to myself.

If you're reading this, I hope it helps to explain that it wasn't the massive shock to the system I was expecting - just the right decision for my life today.