Making the decision to end a pregnancy can be emotionally fraught – there are many things to consider both personally and practically, including clinic choice, the most appropriate procedure, and what aftercare and support is available.
When navigating the emotional and physical aspects of ending a pregnancy, it’s essential to seek comprehensive support from trusted resources. Clinics in Oregon City offer compassionate care and essential services, including counseling and reproductive health guidance for those facing these decisions. These clinics ensure individuals have access to professional assistance throughout the process.
Choosing to have an abortion
Each and every year thousands of women in the UK make the difficult decision to terminate unplanned and unwanted pregnancies. In fact, abortion figures are on the rise, with the latest figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities revealing that in 2022 England and Wales had the highest number of abortions since the Abortion Act was put in place. This is an increase of 17% on the previous year, with 251,377 individuals choosing abortion in 2022. Many women make this decision because they may not be financially stable, they might feel like they don’t have the right support system in place, or simply that they aren’t ready to start or expand their family. Your reason for deciding to have an abortion is completely personal to you and should not be influenced by anyone else.
If you’ve made the challenging decision to end your pregnancy, the first step is to get in touch with an abortion care provider. There are two options: NHS-funded clinic or privately funded abortion clinic. There are benefits and negatives to both of these options.
Public healthcare: In brief, choosing an NHS-funded clinic will enable you to have an abortion for free. However, you may have to wait a few weeks for an appointment and you won’t have any control over the clinicians that you see or your appointment times, which may not be convenient.
Private healthcare: When choosing a private abortion clinic there is a cost for the procedure. However the benefits include being able to choose a clinic location and clinician of your choice. You will also have far more flexibility in terms of appointment timings, and in some cases clinics will be able to offer next day appointments. This can be important when it comes to such a time-sensitive procedure.
Deciding on the right procedure for you
Once you’ve made your decision you will need to consider what type of procedure would be best for you. In most cases your clinician will be able to advise you accordingly. However, to give a brief overview, there are two main types of abortion procedure: surgical abortion and medical abortion with pill.
Medical abortion: Medical abortion is the most common form of pregnancy termination – this is because it is very effective and is considered to be one of the safest methods. It is also easiest for individuals to access and comes with fewer side effects and complications than surgical abortion. The medical abortion procedure involves taking a combination of two different pills mifepristone and misoprostol. Mifepristone is taken to block the hormones in the body that sustain a pregnancy. Misoprosotol is then taken around 24 hours later and encourages uterine contractions to help to expel the pregnancy tissue from the body. Pain will vary widely depending on how far along you are and your pain tolerance, but your chosen clinic will advise you on this and will provide you with painkillers and advice on how to manage this effectively. The pain is a result of the cramping and can be likened to painful period cramps.
Historically, this procedure has been carried out after an in-person consultation, with the first pill being provided in a clinic setting and the second pill being consumed at home. However, once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the law was updated to allow women to access the abortion pill online. This means that individuals can now have a virtual consultation with a clinician and be approved for the treatment, before being sent abortion pills by post so they don’t even need to leave the comfort of their own home.
However, medical abortion is not suitable for everybody. Women between 4-10 weeks of pregnancy can opt for this, unless they have an IUD fitted, suffer from high blood pressure, heart disease, or are on certain medications; however, your clinician will discuss this with you in detail prior to approving treatment.
Surgical abortion: Surgical abortion can be carried out for pregnancies between 6-15 weeks. Depending on how far along you are, you can choose to have the procedure under local anaesthesia or with light sedation. Either way it is a reasonably quick procedure involving a technique called manual vacuum aspiration; this utilises gentle suction to remove any tissue from inside the uterus. It does trigger cramps in the uterus which can be uncomfortable. The procedure is almost 100% effective and you only need to remain in the clinic for a couple of hours post-procedure for observation to make sure you are ok before heading home. Common side effects from pregnancy termination surgery include bleeding and cramping, however most women will go back to their normal activities within just three days.
Emotions and how you may be feeling after pregnancy termination
Pregnancy is a time when hormones are very active. Even after having an abortion, the hormone levels can remain high and take time to settle down; as a result this can make you feel more emotional than normal. Even if you do not wish to continue a pregnancy it does not make it any less emotional or difficult. You may find it helpful to mark the end of the pregnancy in some way, whether this is through planting a tree or marking it with an item that has meaning to you.
When it comes to how to deal with ending a pregnancy, there is no ‘right’ way to feel after an abortion. All feelings and emotions are normal. You may be feeling a combination of sadness but also relief. It is also common to feel regret and guilt – even anger. You may find it helpful to confide in a close friend or family member about how you are feeling but if you find this difficult, speaking to someone you don’t know, like a counsellor, can be surprisingly cathartic and may be easier as a way to work through your feelings.
