I was 9 weeks and chose a medical abortion at Glasgow Sandyford as it was the fastest option

I wanted to share my experience with others to help them if in the same situation as I was in. I kept looking a lot at other peoples experiences and thought this might help and not scare people! So here it goes...

My periods come every 7 weeks, I didn’t discover I was pregnant until I starting feeling nauseous on the week I missed my first period. I took a pregnancy test and it was positive and I cried for maybe half an hour before I messaged one of my friends and went over to hers to talk about it.

I told two of my friends and my bf. They were all extremely supportive, even my bf who I’d only been with for less than 3 months!

I’m 28 and I didn’t feel ready to take on a baby financially and emotionally, I’d like kids one day but only when I feel settled and ready to do so. I knew my only option was abortion. I didn’t even know how to go about it. I phoned NHS24 and they said to make an appointment with my GP.

When I went to my doctor he was so understanding and supportive of my decision and got onto the Sandyford that day to request an appointment for me... however around this time it was New Year which meant I could only get an appointment 2 weeks away.

It was hard to wait for that amount of time, I was very nauseous and physically sick sometimes 4 x a day. For 2 weeks my diet consisted of toast, yoghurt and bananas. I wanted it to be over sooner rather than later but I had no choice but to be patient and wait.

My appointment was at the Glasgow Sandyford on Friday. When I went for my appointment the nurse was extremely helpful and caring. I wasn’t emotional, I just felt like I was going through a process. She asked many questions to establish if I was sure about my decision and she took me for a scan, I didn’t need to look at the screen, if I had I knew I would get upset.

I was 9 weeks pregnant by this point. I decided on the medical abortion because it was the fastest option and I just wanted it all to be over. I took the first pill that day and was given other pills with antibiotics and painkillers to take on Sunday.

Other accounts of abortion at 9 weeks of pregnancy

I asked all the questions I needed and I was able to phone them to ask any more. She also gave me an instruction sheet on when and how to take all the pills. On Sunday 8 am I inserted 4 pills vaginally (this starts the bleeding process). I also took co-codamol to help with the pain.

Within 20 mins I felt a lot of very bad cramps and sickness with hot and cold sweats. I know that sounds horrible but it only lasted for an hour at most. I get quite bad heavy periods and so I was used to this pain. After this, the pain started to go down to med-mild cramps, no sickness.

I then felt this urge to go to the toilet and I heard 3 plops in the toilet, some blood clots and possibly the embryo, this happened again an hour later. I didn’t look in the bowl when I went to the toilet and I’d recommend not to look.

I’ve read a few people say that they looked and it made them upset because you could make out the embryos arms and legs even when it’s no bigger than a 50 pence piece. Don’t do that to yourself. I’m happier never seeing it and not thinking about it. There was blood when I went to the toilet but not floods of it like some people describe.

At 12 pm I needed to take 2 more pills orally just to make sure everything had been flushed out. Also more co-codamol for pain relief. I should also say I had my wonderful friend taking care of me refilling my hot water bottles, making me snacks, running to the shops for supplies, checking in on me constantly. It really does help to have someone look after you, even for the company and to talk through what you’re going through.

Now it’s 9 pm and I’m still bleeding, but not masses, and have mild cramps now and again. I feel relaxed. I feel happy, with no sadness. For me, this was the right decision and I have no regrets. I should say everyones experience is different. I really do hope this helps and takes away any horror stories you read.

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