“I support abortion.” Is my statement enough to make you leave this article? Feel free to, then. I don’t need such narrow-minded readers who are intolerant enough to show their disapproval over a necessary basic health right of women over their bodies. I hope I’m having a filtered audience now. So, ladies, this article is my small attempt on providing guidance to all those seeking info on medical abortion, i.e., abortion through pills. I have gone through this procedure twice, so I’m having some relevant experience which I thought might prove useful to those needing some real information on this all-time hushed topic.
Medical Abortion (Abortion Through Medications/ Abortion Through Pills)
Medical abortion, also known as abortion through medications and abortion through pills, is considered to be the easiest form of abortion. Medical abortion is the most popular form of abortion because it’s easily accessible, and can be performed by anyone inside the safe chambers of one’s home. However, I’d strongly recommend every woman to consult a gynaecologist before going for medical abortion.
I know it’s difficult for women thinking of abortion to seek out help from a gynaecologist. Some stop because of shame; some stop because of fear. That’s why I’m writing this article to give a general idea based upon my personal experiences of abortion. I got my abortion done twice through medications. Both the times, I consulted a gynaecologist and took the pills to get rid of the unwanted baggage I was carrying within me.
First time when I went to the gynaecologist to get help regarding medical abortion, I was five weeks pregnant. The second time, it was just two weeks. One can easily get medical abortion done until the first ten weeks of pregnancy. After that, you’ll really need to seek help from a gynaecologist who’ll guide you if you can still go for abortion or not.
The first time, the doctor examined me from within using her hand to check where the foetus has reached. She gave me a kit of 5 pills, called the MIFTY kit. The MIFTY kit is a combi pack of one Mifepristone tablet and 4 Misoprostol tablets.
- Mifepristone: The big tablet in the top of the MIFTY kit is called the Mifepristone tablet. It is used to kill the foetus. The doctor asked me to take the pill on the same day at 8:00 pm. It was a Monday.
- Misoprostol: The remaining 4 tablets in the MIFTY kit are called the Misoprostol tablets. They help in getting the remains of the foetus out from the body through bleeding. The doctor asked me to take 2 pills of Misoprostol on Wednesday at 8:00 am and the remaining 2 pills of Misoprostol on the same Wednesday at 8:00 pm.
What to expect after taking the abortion pills?
You might be worried/ curious regarding what happens to one’s body after taking the abortion pills. Well, taking the dose of mifepristone doesn’t affect you much in terms of side-effects, etc. But the real cramping and bleeding begins after taking the misoprostol pills. After taking the first two pills of misoprostol, you might start experiencing some heavy cramps and heavy bleeding, and it may further increase after taking the remaining two pills of misoprostol. But this is not the same in every woman’s case. The symptoms and pain differ from body to body.
The first time I had my abortion through these pills, I merely experienced the normal cramps that I generally feel during my menstrual cycle. But yes, I was really scared that time, so I was taking painkillers in advance in every 4-5 hours to avoid any pain. I had quite light bleeding which was brownish in colour.
When I had my abortion the second time, it was full of some real cramps. Ah! It was hell painful for a few hours. When I took my first two pills of misoprostol, it started hurting like hell within 10 minutes from taking the pills. I took a painkiller, but got no respite. I was in pain for 6-7 hours that day. Then I was really scared of taking the remaining pills of misoprostol and took a painkiller half an hour before taking the misoprostol pills. And fortunately, it wasn’t any more painful for me. But at the time of my second abortion, I bled quite heavily.
The Doctor’s Advice
Both the times when I went to the gynaecologist, she gave me the same MIFTY kit having one Mifepristone and 4 Misoprostol tablets. One is supposed to take 2 misoprostol tablets after 36 hours from taking the mifepristone tablet and the remaining two tablets after 12 hours from taking the initial two misoprostol tablets.
Both the times, the doctor prescribed me a tablet called Livogen to give strength to the body to deal with the blood loss. She suggested me to take it twice per day for 15 days. The second time, she advised me to also take an Anti-D injection as my blood group is O negative. Apart from this, both the times, she asked me to get an ultrasound done after 15 days from taking the last pills to ensure that no remains are left inside my body.
My message to all the lovely ladies reading it
I know it’s not easy to go for an abortion even when you really want to go for it and you know that it’s the only right choice for you. But remember, in this male – dominated society, you’ll meet many who’ll try their best to stop you from following your heart and to meekly follow the patriarchal norms, but you’re the only one who can save yourself. I’m not asking you to go for abortion or anything. All what I really want you to do is to do what you personally feel right to do.
Don’t seek validation from anyone. Validate yourself, support yourself and love yourself because self-love is your saviour. If your heart says it (anything) is right, it is right. Believe in yourself. Good luck!
Power to you!
Warmly,
ULW
P.S.: I’d like to thank Writtygritty for providing me a safe platform where I can voice out whatever I want to share with the world comfortably with/ without revealing my identity.
