An anonymous semimonthly series where real people share their interesting life stories and experiences.
In real life, things aren’t exactly black and white. How we individually feel about difficult situations is entirely up to us. When it comes down to how we want to live our lives, whether we want to be happy or sad is pretty much our decision, would you agree?
We spoke to a twenty something year old womxn about her experience with having an abortion.
How Old Were You When You Had An Abortion, & How Old Are You Now?
“I was 21, about a year ago. I’m 22 now.”
Can You Explain What Your Life Was Like When You Found Out You Were Pregnant?
“I was in my final year of university and I had just gotten out of a relationship, so it was a very stressful and emotional time for me. When I found out, my first instinct was to tell my ex-boyfriend then, but he wasn’t the last person I had been with intimately, so it was just a confusing period for me overall.”
What Was Your Reason For Wanting To Have An Abortion? Was It A Hard Decision, Or An Easy One?
“It was easy. I hope that doesn’t make me a bad person. I was just about to round up 4 years of university. I didn’t have any man to cry or lean on, my relationship had just ended and I wasn’t even sure who it belonged to.
There was no way I was going to keep it. The only hard part was the abortion itself and thinking about how I was going to go through with it.”
Did You Talk To Your Ex Boyfriend About It, Or Your Friends & Family?
“My two best friends were kept in the loop all through. They played major roles throughout the whole thing and they were there for me all through. I also confided in my ex-boyfriend, but not immediately.
How Far Long Were You When You Had It?
“About six weeks, I think. I didn’t miss my first period, it’s my second period I missed and it’s what made me suspicious because my cycle isn’t so irregular.”
Could You Please Walk Us Through The Process, How Did It Happen?
“First of all, one of my best friends took me to a fertility clinic where I had an ultrasound. I thought it was safer to know what I was dealing with before making any decisions that could have been detrimental to my health and wellbeing. The process made me even weaker because having the ultrasound made me very emotional.
The next day, I was able to get abortion pills.”
So, You Had A Medical Abortion? How Did You Feel During The Whole Procedure, And Why Did You Trust The Pill?
“I had known someone that had a medical abortion with the same pill, and the results were excellent. I was also less than 11 weeks, so I was suitable to take it.
I started the pill intake in the morning, and at first I was fine until after I finished taking all the pills. I had unbearable cramps, it was nothing like I had ever felt before. It was like period cramps, but the pain was to the max. For the next few days, I stayed indoors and in bed because I also took pain killers and sleeping pills. It helped a lot.”
How Did You Feel Afterwards, Both Physically And Emotionally?
“After the pain had gone, physically I was relieved. I went back for an ultrasound a month later to make sure I was good too. Emotionally, I’m not sure because it was a new experience for me, but thankfully my friends were there for me, so that helped me.”
Is There Anything You Wish You Had Known Before You Had One? And Looking Back, How Do You Feel?
“I always thought it would never happen to me, but it did. It’s common but can also be easily prevented though birth control methods. Tbh, I was just careless. It was an experience I had to go through, but I know I made the right decision.”
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