Abortion what is it like

Also I was in a hospital gown sitting on a huge pad and while I didn't feel exposed, it just wasn't pleasant. After that I had an ultrasound and the nurses were very nice. They were fine when I declined to see the image and did not pressure me at all. Woman B: We were escorted to the triage area where I was asked to dress in a hospital gown and remove all my jewelry. The nurse and doctor came in to explain the procedure to me, to make sure this is what we wanted, to sign paperwork, etc.

Then they put me on a gurney and put an IV in me and wheeled me to the operating room. Woman C: I arrived with my former partner, filled out some paper work, and waited for a long time.

I had one of the earliest appointments too. After waiting a long while, I was called for some preliminary counseling, to make my payment, and take my medicine pre-procedure.

More waiting. Then my name was called. Woman D: It was all pretty calm. The evaluation was only done on Fridays so I had to miss my classes for that day. I just checked in and then I was brought into a waiting area with other women who were taking the [abortion] pill. It almost turned into a support group as we all talked about what got us to this point and the things that were going on in our lives.

Woman E: Everyone was very, very kind to me. As I was at a hospital and not a clinic, I didn't have to worry about protestors, but I was still nervous about how the people I encountered would treat me. I was treated gently throughout and assured of my safety, my privacy, and my ability to make whatever choice I felt best, including not having the abortion after all.

What did you feel physically during the procedure? Woman A: The procedure was quick and almost painless. I felt slight discomfort but it really wasn't anything worse than an extended pap smear. The doctor was professional but not in a cold way, and the nurses were very kind but not patronizing. Woman B: Nothing, they put me in twilight sleep. Woman C: I remember the low hum of the machine. I was conscious throughout my procedure. It almost felt like a visit with the ob-gyn.

Some slight pain, but with a good breathing pattern, and a hand to hold, you can make it. My doctor seemed like she was in a hurry and had a cold vibe, which is sad, because everyone I interfaced with up until this point was amazing. But I did have an attendant by my bedside who was an angel and reminded me to breathe and gave me probably the most important pep talk I could have after the event.

I cried big tears, and gave her the biggest hug. I am thankful for her. Woman D: Physically I only had minor cramps and moderate back pain over the weekend when I took the pills. Woman E: I was given general anesthesia, so I didn't feel anything.

How did you feel after, physically and emotionally? Woman A: I was relieved. I had been so wound up about finding out, making a decision, scheduling an appointment, going to the appointment, and then it was just done and I felt no regret whatsoever. Woman B: Physically, fine. No pain. Emotionally, I was pretty sound. I had come to terms with the decision and knew I was actually saving the lives of the two that I still carried as well as possibly my own life.

Woman C: It was a mixture of emotions. I thought of the child whose face I'd never see. I cried for my failed relationship.

I rejoiced for this new beginning, and I smiled because I'll never be here again. Woman D: After I felt relieved but also very selfish, as I felt I had chosen the easy way out instead of taking the harder road of going through with the pregnancy. Physically, I did not feel anything out of the ordinary. I think the heaviness of my actions stayed with me for about a year before it stopped upsetting me.

Woman E: Relieved, and not nauseous for the first time in weeks. We stopped for pizza on the way home from the hospital because I was ravenous. Emotionally, I was mostly still nervous about how people would treat me. I felt shell-shocked by the entire experience. I felt like something massive had happened but that I shouldn't tell people about it, and so that left me feeling pretty messy. I remember feeling really grateful that I hadn't had any conflicting emotions about the procedure, because I was freaked out enough without that added stress.

What are the most common reactions when you tell people you had an abortion? Woman A: It's more of a non-reaction than anything. A few friends have said that they would do the same thing if they found themselves pregnant at this point in their lives.

The only emotional reaction was my mom, who was more upset that I hadn't told her and had gone to the clinic alone because she would've gone with me. Woman B: I have been very open and honest about it. I even published a blog about my whole loss and subsequent pregnancy experience, and have talked openly on public radio about the experience. Most people have been understanding and supportive. I did, however, come under attack from a "close friend" and her mother on Facebook.

They basically called me a murderer, but they were quickly rendered speechless by the rest of my friends. Woman C: Most just ask how it was and how I feel. And it was tough, but I feel great. Woman D: I eventually did tell my boyfriend at the time what happened, as it weighed on me too much that I did this without him. He was supportive of my decision and we had an open communication line to talk about it if I ever felt I needed it which I did.

I have only told one other friend, as he had been making crude remarks about abortion and I felt it needed to be addressed. Mostly [people] have expressed sadness for what I went through, and have been supportive. Woman E: As I am mostly surrounded by like-minded people, the most common reaction is minimal and somewhere between neutral and positive. I've lived in more conservative places for work a few times, and that was always challenging. No one said anything terrible to my face, but I did encounter many well-meaning people who tried to help me alleviate my nonexistent guilt, or who basically stopped speaking to me when they realized I didn't feel I'd done a bad thing.

Is there anything you wish you had known before you had an abortion, or that you think Cosmo readers should know? Tell the clinic staff about yourself. Tell them the name you want to be called, what pronouns you use, and important things to know about you. Tell them if you have had a previous experience with abortion — good or bad! Tell them if you want a friend, family member, or partner with you.

Tell them if you want to be told everything that they are doing, or if you would rather listen to music or chat about movies.

Tell them how you want to be treated. Let go of shame, guilt, or fear. Know that you are making the best decision for you and your life. You are not alone — many people just like you have walked this path. A great website for abortion stories is wetestify.

People decide to have an abortion after concluding that it is the right choice for themselves and their lives. The story that women regret their abortions is one that is mostly made up by people who are against abortion.

Abortion is safer than having a child, so having more than one abortion is definitely safer than having more than one child. In , the last year where data is available, about a million abortions were obtained in the United States and , in Canada [1, 2]. The reason for this drop is most likely better access to affordable, effective birth control [4]. The majority of people who have abortions in the US are in their 20s, have had a child before, are unmarried, and are white [3]. People from communities with higher levels of unintended pregnancy, including adolescents, poor people, people of color, and those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, disproportionately seek abortion care [5].

In some states and provinces, advanced practice clinicians like midwives, nurse practitioners and physician assistants can provide medication abortion. With a few exceptions including Vermont, California, and Montana, uterine aspiration is limited to physicians only.

However, in studies of abortion safety, abortion — either medication abortion or uterine aspiration - is as safe and effective when it is provided by a trained clinician as when it is provided by a doctor [14]. In many other countries around the world, especially where the health work force is limited, nurses, nurse midwives and other trained clinicians are the primary abortion providers.

Because abortion is so safe, there is no need to provide abortion care at any stage in pregnancy in a hospital or surgical center unless, in the opinion of her doctor or clinician, the patient needs a higher level of care. There is no increase in complications when abortion care is provided in clinics compared to when it is provided in a surgical center [12].

Attempts to restrict abortion to surgical centers does not increase the safety of abortion and only serves to limit abortion access [12, 15]. Search and find a provider in your area here or call the NAF Hotline referral line , which provides referrals to high-quality clinics in the U. Abortion: What to Expect. What to expect during an abortion? Oct 11, Medication Abortion. In-Clinic Abortions. Frequently Asked Questions. In fact, fertility often returns quickly after an abortion.

If a person wants to delay pregnancy, they should use a reliable method of birth control starting immediately after an abortion. Abortion Access. Jones, R. Perspect Sex Reprod Health, Jatlaoui, T. Kavanaugh, M. Jerman, Contraceptive method use in the United States: trends and characteristics between , and Contraception, Tornello, S.

Riskind, and C. Patterson, Sexual orientation and sexual and reproductive health among adolescent young women in the United States. J Adolesc Health, Raymond, E. Zane, S. Creanga, A. Obstet Gynecol, She also stopped eating—throwing away her school lunch and making excuses to skip dinner—and exercised until the point of exhaustion, doing sit-ups and sprinting laps.

After about five days of this, her period came back. It was more than two weeks late. Aiken felt overwhelmed with relief when she saw the blood. Finally, she could focus on her studies. She aced the G. The first blocks the pregnancy hormone progesterone, causing the uterine lining to break down; the second causes contractions. Women have been using misoprostol alone to induce miscarriages since the nineteen-eighties.

In places where abortion is legal, a doctor can prescribe the pills to a woman who is up to ten weeks pregnant. In places where abortion is illegal or highly restricted, there have been more elaborate efforts to get pregnant women the pills.

In , Rebecca Gomperts, a Dutch doctor and the founder of an organization called Women on Waves, chartered a ship and began sailing it to countries that had outlawed abortion, such as Poland and Portugal. Women could board the ship to obtain the pills. The vessel was registered in the Netherlands, where abortion had been legalized, and Dutch laws were in effect on board.

A few years later, Gomperts began dispensing the pills to women in Europe through a Web site called Women on Web. Women could fill out a consultation form describing their medical history and symptoms, and, if they were in the first ten weeks of pregnancy, Gomperts and her team of doctors would prescribe the pills, which would arrive in the mail shortly afterward from a pharmacy in India.

Those two things together—the pills and the Web site—were transformational, Aiken recalled. Activists had put them up. She imagined how the Web site would have changed her life when she was sixteen.

Eight years later, after Aiken had become a public-health researcher, she approached Gomperts at a conference and asked if the two of them could collaborate. The organization also followed up with the women weeks later, to track their health outcomes and feelings after having taken the pills. The data showed that, in terms of safety and effectiveness, ordering abortion pills through the service and taking them was comparable to getting a surgical abortion in a clinic.

Only five per cent of the women had complications that required them to complete the abortion under the care of a doctor; the rest were able to successfully end their pregnancies by using the pills.

But their research showed that there was still a demand for the service in America , especially in states where in-clinic abortions were severely restricted. Aiken has been tracking the data : during the first two years that the service was offered, Americans made more than fifty-seven thousand requests for abortion pills.