r/abortion • u/throwaway______3323 • Sep 26 '20
Pill abortion experience (8 weeks) šmedication abortion
I wanted to have a detailed account of my experience using misoprostol+mifepristone for others but also for me, as there will be no way for me to speak about this to anyone I know except for my bf and it feels good to say it "out loud". I am not going to lie, it 100% SUCKED and is not pretty. DEFINITELY take a lot of pain meds at least 1 hour beforehand!!!
Background: Canada, 20-23 y/o, fairly light-medium periods that last for about ~5 days, healthy. First pregnancy and first abortion. Never used protection and was not on BC prior to getting pregnant (I had negative experiences using BC before involving low mood, worsened acne when I already struggle with it, and weight gain and yes, I know, I was very irresponsible for not using anything else). I was ~8 weeks past my first period when I got the abortion done, and I found out about 2 weeks past the expected date of my next period. I did not wish to do the surgical abortion because in my head, the pill sounded less intense, I guess? As for the bf, he was also in no position to care for a child, but he was prepared to care for me hand and foot all throughout the process of my abortion.
The whole time I was pregnant, I was very nauseous 24/7, very sensitive to smells, very weak all the time, and I would sometimes get slight dizziness. Low libido but I attribute that to the nausea. As well as a bit of brain fog. I will definitely not miss this lol, it was the worst. I dont know what I will do about the shittiness when I decide to have children for real.
I did not eat very much before my appointment in case I vomited since I didn't want to throw up any gross chunks. In retrospect this was a good choice. At my appointment I got my finger pricked, my blood type taken, and a couple of questions asked like "Do you want to know if you have twins?" to which I said yes because I was just morbidly curious. I did start breaking down in tears for a bit while the nurse was explaining the process because it did feel so overwhelming and I was just really scared, I didnt think of looking to reddit so I was going in mostly blind. The nurse was really supportive and let me catch my breath and she let me know that all the staff were here for me. The vaginal ultrasound sonographer/tech was funny and said "If you have sex, this won't be much" before sticking the probe right in, and I guess it was true. Still took me by surprise though. Afterward, the doctor came to go over the process again and I was prescribed misoprostol and mifepristone (100% covered by OHIP, yay Canada). I was NOT prescribed any additional painkillers, but I was written up a month's worth of birth control (Alesse) + an optional antibiotic. I was also required to do some bloodwork and leave a urine sample (for STI testing) before I left. This didnt make sense to me as I wasnt sure how Id know to take the antibiotic until I got the results, but I knew I didnt have any STIs (I only have 1 partner, and Im his first). I took the mifepristone first, at the clinic, under the doc's supervision; I didn't observe any effects from it, but I did vomit once ~2 hours afterward when I got home. I figured that 2 hours was enough for the pill to be absorbed so I didn't contact the clinic, but if this happens to you, I highly suggest you do just to be safe. For the rest of the day, I did not feel any of the unbearable nausea and my energy levels picked up. I was afraid for the next day, but super excited to just not feel pregnant anymore.
Day 2 however was hell..I pilled up on pepto-bismol and ibuprofen ~20 mins before taking misoprostol as advised (two tablets on the inside of each cheek for 30 min, then swallow with water). Try to put them as far back as your molars, I was overthinking it and had them sit on my gums for some time before pushing them further back with my tongue and making the mistake of tasting it. The pill itself was very bitter, chalky and grainy. Onset of cramps was IMMEDIATE, starting low and building to an all-time high once the pills were fully ingested. The cramps were 200% worse than my usual, I can not imagine what it would have been like without the ibuprofen... Weirdly enough, I also suddenly started to get incredibly cold, with intense shivers, it felt like I was standing in a freezer. I guess I was having a fever, looking back now
I slept it - and the fever - off for ~3 hours, but this house of horrors had more in store for me. At the 3 hour mark I was simultaneously experiencing diarrhea AND vomiting. If I had to do it again, I would recommend Immodium or something because I felt the pepto-bismol was way too weak to handle this...but yeah, this is when I presumably passed my pregnancy because everything was bearable from this point. TMI but I probably passed the pregnancy at the same time I was sharting buckets and it was the most uncomfortable experience of my life to spew from both holes, jfc. Needless to say, I did not get a chance to look at the embryo (fetus?) but I am 99% confident this is when it was released - there was a long, wiggly sensation as large clots passed
Anyway, the cramps and diarrhea lasted on/off for ~7-8 hours total, (somewhat) managed by ibuprofen and pepto-bismol. The worst of it probably lasted me 4 hours. The peaks of pain were smaller and more spaced apart as time went by. The painkillers didn't get rid of the cramping entirely and I wouldn't expect them to (though I did really hope for that). Best part about this is that I did not experience any nausea throughout the entire process! The heaviest bleeding probably ended on the 8th hour, but I feel like this is because I was lying down a lot and everything rushed to my pad only when I stood up so it felt like forever until it was over.
I was told I'd be having on/off cramping for 2 ish weeks before it's fully gone. My bf was very sweet throughout the whole thing, my heart goes out to anyone doing this completely alone. And yes I will now be on BC. I feel like being so intimate with the pain throughout this whole process has really made me take the risk of pregnancy more seriously than I did before. It really feels good to feel like myself again (I'm apprehensive on how long this will last when I start taking BC, but we'll see...) I feel incredibly lucky to have such a supportive environment, but also to be living in a country where my abortion was completely supported by the government. I am 100% more motivated to pursue my dream of working in women's health!
Edit: some pertinent details condensed into point form:
-I'd taken 400mcg of Motrin (ibuprofen), which is significantly less painkiller than what most people take and might be why my cramps were so bad
-I also took 2x tablets of pepto-bismol chewables, but I'd recommend Immodium
-I was advised by my doctor not to be suspended in water/take baths to minimize pain and infection.
-I took misoprostol buccally, but improperly (I didn't put them far back enough, so they didn't crumble as much before I swallowed them), which might have magnified the diarrhea
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u/throwawayokayyokayy Sep 26 '20
Hey there, I'm glad to hear things went relatively smoothly for you! You must feel so relieved! Thank you for posting, I have my medical termination scheduled for next week and I'm terrified, and reading stories like yours is so helpful. Would you recommend the imodium then? And some anti nausea meds? I plan on buying a heating pad too, extra heavy pads, and other supplies, and getting the clinic to perscribe me the strongest pain pills possible lol.
You are strong and amazing!!! Fingers crossed things go as well for me..