A client shares her experience of choosing between a medical and surgical abortion

A client shares her experience of choosing between a medical bortion and surgical abortion at MSI.

“I am 26 years old and have a 5-month-old baby girl. I was convinced my periods were irregular postpartum but when I saw the positive line on the pregnancy test, I was shocked and scared.” 

My daughter is the best thing that ever happened to me and our family, but I did not want to fall pregnant again that quickly and didn’t expect it as I had been using contraception. After much discussion with my partner of eight years, we decided we could not have another baby after such a short period of time, regardless of how much we love our baby girl.  

I contacted MSI via the online booking form, and within less than two days I received an appointment for a telephone consultation only a few days later. During my telephone consultation and after much research, I opted for a surgical abortion. I felt this was best suited to my care responsibilities at home.  

Upon attending the clinic, I felt nervous, anxious, and overwhelmed but knew this was a decision I had to make for our family. I was very supported by my family and most importantly, my partner.

During my appointment with the most amazing, kind and caring midwife, I was offered support, reassurance, and most importantly the best advice she could give. Following a scan, I was informed I was slightly over five weeks pregnant. Although she was happy to progress my referral to the doctor for a surgical abortion, she ensured I was advised of the pros and cons of the procedure first. She also explained how a medical abortion works from home and talked me through the timings and reassured me that there was no pressure. She made sure I was in a completely safe and supportive environment. 

Regardless of the decision I made that day and the fantastic support I received, I naturally felt apprehensive and nervous about the abortion. It was difficult to find positive stories when searching online but MSI’s page with abortion stories was extremely positive.  

I chose to have a medical abortion and the day after my appointment, I took the first tablet and went about my day as normal. I did wake up that night with some pain, but nothing more. The next morning, we went about our day, our little girl went swimming, we did the shopping and then came home. I took paracetamol then inserted the tablet and laid on the bed for 30 minutes. An hour passed with no pain or bleeding. I felt an urge to use the toilet about an hour later and when I did, I realised I was bleeding. Within 30 minutes, I began passing large clots, but these were difficult to see in the toilet due to the level of bleeding.   

Three hours after taking the first set of tablets, I called the 24-hour aftercare line to clarify whether I should take the second set. It’s hard to be certain what you’re seeing and the midwife I spoke to understood this, so it was suggested that if I am not certain that I have passed the pregnancy, then I should take the next two to allow my body to do what it needed to do. It is important to know that this won’t do any harm and is beneficial for removing any remaining tissue.  

After some hours, I started to feel sad but it’s okay to experience a variety of emotions. 

If anything is taken from this, I want to share my story with other people going through the same thing. I experienced some pain but that was managed with paracetamol, a hot chocolate and a hot water bottle. I dealt with the emotional side by having a cuddle and talking it through.  

The process is not easy, but I am so grateful to the midwife at MSI Leeds for offering the best advice she could. After some rest and a few weeks of taking things steady, I was back on my feet and so grateful for everything MSI have done for me and my family.  

Not once did I feel judged, unsupported or receive any negative opinions about my decision from MSI professionals.  

I have also been kindly provided with what MSI has advised is the most suitable contraception based on my wishes, and I will be keen to return to MSI for further contraceptive support in the future.  

You are not alone. 

Helping you choose between a medical and surgical abortion

At MSI Reproductive Choices, we offer medical abortion up to 9 weeks and 6 days of pregnancy and a surgical abortion up to 23 weeks and 6 days of pregnancy.

The options available to you will depend on the gestation of your pregnancy, your individual circumstances and how you feel about the different options. We can talk you through the options available to you, but you can also click here and read through the pros and cons of both treatments.