Keeping the pregnancy from my parents was important yet very difficult because of the extreme illness

Three weeks ago after a gut feeling, I took a pregnancy test which came out as positive. Believing it to be a false positive, as due to an underlying health condition I was supposed to be quite infertile, I waited a couple days and took another, more expensive branded test with a weeks indicator feature. Again, positive result.

Too in shock to tell my boyfriend of only two months at this point, I visited my Dr to discuss my options for the pregnancy.

Raised in a right-wing religious household

As a bit of background, I am a 20-year-old in full-time employment, about to start university after taking time off schooling to work abroad, raised in a very right-wing religious household.

I finally plucked up the courage to tell my boyfriend, and he reacted in the most amazing way.

So supportive, reassuring and caring, not the freaking out, stress and worry I expected. As we are both young, he is only four years my senior, and have not been together long at all, and our contraception had failed, he fully supported my decision to seek an abortion.

I made an appointment for a consultation at the nearest hospital for a week and a half later.

Keeping the pregnancy a secret was difficult

During this time, the morning sickness hit HARD. I was ill all day, every day, even having to take time off work. My boobs grew rapidly, I was an absolute mess. I never knew how difficult the first few weeks of a pregnancy could be! I was so relieved when my appointment came around. Due to their religious convictions, keeping the pregnancy a secret from my parents with whom I live was important yet very difficult because of the extreme illness!

The nurse offered to show me

At the consultation, they gave me an ultrasound scan and were able to locate the embryo without scanning me internally, which was quite a relief. The nurse offered for me to see the screen, despite warning me that most women declined. I declined.

Just a warning

After the scan, I had a twenty-minute consultation with another nurse, who took my blood type, weighed and measured me, went through the consent forms and the process with me, and booked me my appointments at another hospital for the actual treatment.

Just a warning- they do ask you your reasons for terminating the pregnancy, which can be quite uncomfortable to explain, but I was treated with utter respect and consideration.

The first part of the treatment

The next day I travelled to the further hospital, to take the first part of the treatment. The nurse had to watch me take the pill, then I had to stay on site for half an hour to make sure I didn't throw it back up. After that, I was free to go.

After taking the first pill, I didn't experience any out of the ordinary sickness or cramps or anything.

The night before I was due to take the next pill I did have some light bleeding, but no pain.

The second part of the treatment

Two days later, I travelled with my boyfriend to take the rest of the treatment.

At the hospital, the nurse gave me four tablets to insert as high as I could into my vagina. She instructed me to wait twenty minutes, then to walk vigorously for half an hour, and to repeat that every twenty minutes. The walking, she said, is key to the treatment.

She also instructed me to always use a bedpan when I visited the toilet, to write my cubicle number on it, cover it and leave it for disposal. I was only to notify her if I thought I had passed anything significant.

After waiting the twenty minutes, my boyfriend and I wandered to the Costa at the hospital. By this point the cramps had started, they were mild at first, like a period pain. However, they quickly got stronger so I returned to the ward.

After another twenty minutes or so, the pain came in fits and starts, almost like labour pains would. I went to the toilet, as I felt more comfortable there in case anything happened.

The pain grew worse and worse, bringing with it a bad bout of diarrhoea. Pleasant! Eventually, I threw up, the pain in my abdomen was that bad.

After maybe a half an hour of intense pain and being in the toilet, I felt something come loose and fall into the bedpan, and the pain stopped almost immediately.

He could tell instantly

I waited, signalled the nurse and returned to my cubicle, where my concerned boyfriend had been wondering where I could have been whilst in that much pain. He could tell instantly, I felt so much better. I could drink and eat a little.

The nurse came back with the news I had passed everything, and after twenty minutes of rest, she gave me a suppository antibiotic and discharged me under the instructions to avoid tampons and intercourse during the bleeding that would follow, and which painkillers I could take.

I was there from 7.30 am and was discharged at around 12 pm. Much quicker than I had anticipated, but I suppose each woman's body works differently.

I felt so much relief almost immediately. Slight cramps followed that day, but nothing ever since. Like a very light period. The sickness, fatigue and breast swelling disappeared the next day. Very thankful, it was unbearable and can take up to two weeks to leave your system. It was a very painful but fortunately very short procedure.

I am confident that we made the right decision for us.