Medication Abortion Experience: ‘Nobody Told Me’
Medication Abortion Experience: ‘Nobody Told Me’
Medication
Abortion
Experience:
‘Nobody
Told Me’
Trigger warning: pregnancy termination (Medical Abortion or MA)
Harper* thought MA would be as easy as taking Tylenol for a headache. She took a pregnancy test early and wanted a self-managed abortion in the privacy of her own home. She had easy access to pills online, and assumed ending a pregnancy would be like miscarriage. Plus, she guessed she was about 10 weeks since her last menstrual period. She didn't have to travel out of state for her abortion experience.
What does grapefruit have to do with induced abortion? Taking the pill isn’t going to be as safe and effective when there’s grapefruit in the mix!
Abortion Care
Harper took the first pill, mifepristone, as directed, and then a few hours after taking misoprostol (the second drug in the abortion pill regimen) she threw up and experienced severe cramping. The experience was worse than what they said. She was expecting period cramps, not labor.
“I literally gave birth, and nobody told me it would be like that. The contractions were so intense it was unbearable. About 15 mins before it was out I started telling my partner to call someone because I couldn’t handle it anymore.”
Next, her water broke, and then another push later baby came out quickly along with big clots. She immediately felt relief, so she grabbed a glove and fished the embryo out of the toilet.
Harper noticed the legs were moving and she could feel the heartbeat in her hand. The heartbeat slowly faded and the embryo stopped moving. Harper was in shock and unsure what to do, after experiencing the most pain she'd ever felt in her whole life.
“Definetely [sic] the most traumatic thing either of us have been through. 🙁 ”
she wrote. [1]
Are two pills safer than Tylenol? Your reproductive health matters. Legal abortion does not necessarily mean safe abortion.
More Abortion Experiences
Likewise, other individuals who decided to terminate their pregnancy share their stories about abortion at home.
“I had a MA at 14 weeks when I was 17 with pills I got online. I bled so much and it was the most horrifying, painful experience of my life. I would have been saved so much trauma if I had been able to consult with a doctor first who could’ve warned me that I’d see this and have to decide what to do with it.” [2]
Common themes include feeling unprepared by the abortion clinic, pain and bleeding, and other complications from medication abortion (infection, heavy bleeding for longer than 21 days). Often individuals have to seek a surgical evacuation for incomplete abortion.
Fast Facts about Medication Abortion
MA has a four times higher complication rate than surgical abortion [3]
Risks increase as the pregnancy progresses (pills are not FDA-approved after 10 weeks, regardless of your state's legislation, or what Planned Parenthood says.) [4]
Skipping ultrasound runs the risk of undetected ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside the uterus). Half of women who have an ectopic pregnancy do not have known risk factors, per ACOG. [5] Two pills won't treat an ectopic pregnancy.
People are not being screened for coercion or abuse. 67% of women described their abortions as either “accepted but inconsistent with their values and preferences” (43%) or “unwanted or coerced” (24%). Only 33% identified their abortions as wanted. [6]
Abusers may try to dose their pregnant victims without their knowledge or consent. For example, Robert Kawada is facing numerous charges including poisoning, assault, and battery for allegedly tricking his ex-girlfriend into taking pills to end pregnancy. [7]
Before You Get an Abortion
Want to talk to someone who won’t profit from your decision? Pre-abortion consultations at Pregnant Now What exist to answer your reproductive questions. While you’re there, get a [referral for] an ultrasound.
When it comes to unplanned pregnancy, making the right choice can be extremely difficult. Each story is unique.
Another poster commented about health care professionals not giving people access to appropriate information:
“I’ve had the same.. they really should tell the patient this may happen. I was 9 ish weeks, came out the same. This is incredibly painful, emotionally damaging and not an easy decision to make. I wish people were more compassionate.” [8]
After Terminating a Pregnancy, Now What?
Did you numb out after your abortion? Or feel a mix of relief and regret? Whether you felt unprepared to see your unwanted pregnancy outside the womb, or your abortion was done in a clinic, find support for abortion healing.
Process your abortion procedure with our staff, some of who have their own abortion stories.
Disclaimer: We do not provide or refer for abortions.
Sources
*Harper's story is an aggregate of women's stories.
- di Fiore, B. (2024, May 7). “I just want my baby back”: Reddit poster shares traumatic abortion pill experience. Live Action News. https://www.liveaction.org/news/baby-reddit-traumatic-abortion-pill-experience/
- Short-Size838. (2023, July 21). 10 week old fetus. MedicalGore. https://www.reddit.com/r/MedicalGore/comments/155atyt/comment/jsx4qxz/
- Niinimäki, M., Pouta, A., Bloigu, A., Gissler, M., Hemminki, E., Suhonen, S., & Heikinheimo, O. (2009). Immediate complications after medical compared with surgical termination of pregnancy. Obstetrics and gynecology, 114(4), 795–804. https://doi.org/10.1097/AOG.0b013e3181b5ccf9
- Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. (2023, September). Questions and answers on mifeprex. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/questions-and-answers-mifepristone-medical-termination-pregnancy-through-ten-weeks-gestation
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2020, April). Ectopic pregnancy. ACOG. https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/ectopic-pregnancy Last reviewed: May 2024
- Reardon D C, Rafferty K A, Longbons T (May 11, 2023) The Effects of Abortion Decision Rightness and Decision Type on Women’s Satisfaction and Mental Health. Cureus 15(5): e38882. doi:10.7759/cureus.38882
- Pelisek, C. (2024, May 29). How a Mass. man was caught allegedly tricking his ex-girlfriend into taking pills to end pregnancy. People.com. https://people.com/man-allegedly-tricked-woman-pills-abortion-8655337
- Otherwise_Grape262. (2021, July 21). 10 week old fetus. Medical Gore. https://www.reddit.com/r/MedicalGore/comments/155atyt/comment/jstuumw/