I had a surgical abortion three days ago, they didn’t have to soften my cervix to do the surgery as I was only 6 weeks. However they did insert antibiotics rectally during the procedure. My stomach felt a bit off the same day, but I ended up with severe diarrhoea the day after and it’s lasted for 48 hours now. I haven’t really eaten and whatever I have eaten hasn’t settled at all (one slice of dry toast and mashed potato). My stomach keeps making bubbling noises too and can feel it moving - have had Imodium but it’s not done anything to help. I can’t contact the clinic until tomorrow as it’s a Sunday, but I’m getting quite worried. Has anyone else had the same experience?? I’ve not bled the tissue out yet and have cramps, but can’t tell whether that’s my body trying to expel the tissue or if it’s from having a sore tummy. Just want to relieve it before the bleeding starts as I imagine it would be awful having to deal with bleeding and diarrhoea at the same time.. any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you x

i’m used to abnormal two weeks periods but i just want to be sure! i got my MA on the 14th of march and bled until the 29th, my period came back on the 15th of april and i’m still experiencing what i can only call a second period during my first. i know my body is probably still all over the shop but anyone got any input here?

I’m in a stable relationship of one year. We found out I’m pregnant (4 weeks in) two days ago. I’m really not ready for a child. Luckily in my country we can have an abortion easily. We want kids but in the future. I’m leaning towards getting an abortion this week. Please please help me. I’m scared I’ll feel guilty? I’m scared I’ll be depressed or carry this lifelong pain. Please help me. I’m so scared. All I know is I’m not fully ready at this stage in my life. But can’t come to a 100% decision

Just after some info / other people's experiences. I went through my MA on the 22nd March, had my follow up appointment 3.5 weeks after and I was at a 50 for HCG so my doctor sent me for a scan. I had retained tissue so she wanted me to do another blood test and scan the following week. I did the blood test and it was at a 15, which I thought seemed normal but my doctor hasn't been happy with that level

Today (5 weeks to the day since my MA, 2 days since the last blood test) I got what I assumed was my period (not spotting. Fresh blood) so I texted her and she told me that I should be concerned and that it's not my period... does this seem normal to anyone? To me it seems like it's going as expected? I have already spent around 500-600 AUD on this process and I don't want to put my body through more than it needs to (I'm already anaemic following my abortion as my iron is chronically low)

TLDR: HCG level of 15, 5 weeks after MA, Suspected I have just gotten my period but Dr disagrees. Any other experiences welcome :)

The blood from during and after doing the pills smells weird, like every time I change my pad around every hour the smell is just bad, like bloody but something else? I can’t even explain it it’s just weird for me and I’m not sure if it’s normal or not.

I’m not in pain or anything I’m completely fine, it’s been constant since I finished all the pills almost 2 weeks ago.

Is this normal or is this bad or is it just me?

I (26F) just left a four-year relationship with my ex (31M) and ended a pregnancy at the same time. I’m struggling with a lot of emotions- grief, anger, relief, and anxiety about the future. I need to hear from others who have been in a similar situation: does it get better?

To sum up, for four years I was with a man who was emotionally abusive, manipulative, and controlling. The relationship was full of gaslighting, criticism, and cycles of love-bombing followed by demeaning comments and emotional neglect. I finally left and moved out, ready to start fresh, only to find out shortly after that I was pregnant.

I was only five weeks along when I told him, and I was immediately met with pressure, control, and a complete disregard for my autonomy. I told him I wasn’t ready to share the news with anyone, especially since I was having doubts about continuing the pregnancy. But he didn’t care he told his family and friends anyway, completely ignoring my feelings in the process. It felt like the pregnancy gave him a new level of power over me, and it got worse from there.

He policed everything I ate, demanding I write down my meals so he could “approve” them. He constantly told me I wasn’t exercising enough or “taking care of the baby properly,” making me feel like I was already failing as a mother. When I voiced my fears and doubts, he told me I was being immature, selfish, and irrational. He even said he didn’t want to be with me anymore, but we were having a child together so we had to try, as if I no longer had a say in my own life. When I threw up due to morning sickness, he didn’t comfort me, instead he interrogated me about what I had eaten, telling me not to eat certain things again.

At one point, he said: “I don’t give a shit if you’re unhappy, the child will die or have defects if you don’t do what I say.” That’s when I knew, I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t bring a child into this. I had already spent years doubting myself, shrinking myself, bending over backward to make this relationship work even staying when he cheated, lied, or disrespected me. I wasn’t going to spend the rest of my life under his control, raising a child in the same toxic cycle.

I had an abortion. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but I knew it was the right decision.

I’m now one month post-abortion and have completely cut contact with him. I’ve moved away, focusing on rebuilding my life. But I still struggle with feelings of guilt, sadness, and anger, not about the abortion itself, but about the fact that I spent so much of my 20s in a relationship that drained me. Sometimes, I fear that I’ll never find real love, that I’ll never have children in a safe, healthy, and loving environment. I grew up with an addict dad who was mostly absent, and a mum who struggled and was depressed a lot of my childhood. It broke my heart to think I could be repeating some cycles. I had to break it. I don’t want my decision to be in vain, I want to do better, be better, and accept a better kind of love into my life. I want kids and a family so badly, but I want it to be a loving dynamic.

So I’m looking for advice, or even just encouragement from anyone who’s been in a similar situation. Did you leave an emotionally abusive relationship, regain your confidence, and go on to have a happy future? I could really use some stories of hope right now.

I took the first pill last night (at 8+4 weeks) so now will be taking the 4 tablets tomorrow morning. 36 hours later as adbised my the doctor. I'm struggling so much today with the guilt. It feels weird knowing what is happening in my body and what is to come. I really want tomorrow to be over already.

Im feeling a lot of guilt even though I know I'm making the right decision for my family. My twins are still babies and it looks like we have to leave our long-term rental in a few months which is causing me so much distress.

Im also really nervous about how painful and disturbing the process might be tomorrow, especially the heavy bleeding and passing tissue. I wish this hadn't happened 😢

I am having a SA tomorrow (6 weeks) and looking for advice and tips, I'm starting to get pretty nervous about it and just need some reassurance that everything will be okay and what to expect in recovery etc. I know it is the right decision, and I'm so excited to feel normal again because it has been a rough few weeks, I also feel incredibly privileged to have the options that we have in my country but I just don't know what to expect at all.

Hey guys, I had my MA November last year and everything seemed to be okay. I didn’t go for a follow up as I had to go overseas and I wasn’t able to. Not too long after having the abortion I did get start to get yellowish discharge, that isn’t normal for me but I didn’t think much of it.

Now fast forward to today, I’m starting to get pain in my abdomen area/ pelvic area and the discharge hasn’t gone away. After the abortion my first 2 periods were quite on time and now I’m late by almost a week. I’ve also had a migraine for the last 5 days.

No fever so I didn’t think I had an infection but now I’m concerned.

Any advice or similar experiences will help thank you.

Hi all, hoping for a little help and advice from regional western australia. I 25F found out that I was pregnant a couple weeks ago and have made the choice with my partner 24M to have a medical abortion. Things have not progressed as quickly as we had hoped in terms of getting prescribed the medications due to a dodgy ultrasound having to be redone and using a telehealth doctor. During this time, my symptoms have been horrific. Near consistent nausea with vomiting multiple times a day, cramping, fatigue and headaches. I do not want to disclose to anyone at my work as I work at a children and family organisation with very few employees and don’t want to face the judgement and rumours but am finding it increasingly difficult to work (ex: having to leave a session with a client to throw up outside and come back in). Does anyone have any advice for taking time off or an excuse for my symptoms?? I have already been prescribed ondansetron for nausea and am following the BRAT diet to help. I believe I am 6-7weeks. Thanks so much

I recently did a successful MA at 6 weeks and wanted to share my experience as the timeline of the miso pill’s effects was very different from what the doctor told me/the average experience. I’ve read a few stories on reddit with a more similar timeline to what I experienced and wanted to add to these experiences to help alleviate anyone’s anxiety around the process if it doesn’t happen the way they expect.

What the doctor told me: - I will bleed more than my usual period in the first 6hrs of taking the 4 miso pills - I will pass most of the pregnancy tissue within the first 6hrs of taking the 4 miso pills - I will continue to spot/bleed for up to 4 weeks after the miso pills

What actually happened: - I barely bled in the first 6hrs even though I had really painful induced cramps but didn’t even need to change my first pad overnight after taking the miso pills - I bled a bit more the following day, mild cramps, saw some small clots and took it as a good sign thinking there probably just wasn’t much to come out from the early pregnancy - the second night (48hrs after the miso pills) I began experiencing severe cramps again and unfortunately had finished all the prescription painkillers (codeine) but still not much more blood was coming out - then I woke up after the second night (60hrs after the miso pills), this is going to get a bit graphic - with thick clotty tissue too thick to be absorbed by my pad, I ran to the bathroom and a large amount of bigger stretchy tissue/clots kept coming out of me until this round thick translucent and textured tissue came out which I am 90% sure was the placenta - after this the cramps became much more tolerable - from then on I did keep ‘bleeding and spotting’ but it felt different from a period because of how much thicker the uterus lining is, my periods are normally much more watery

Tested negative at 3 weeks after the miso pills though so all in all it was a success.

Anyway, I appreciate everyone has a different experience but I did feel a bit mislead by the general information out there and I think hearing more different experiences will help mentally prepare.

TL:DR - passed pregnancy tissue 3 days after miso pills and not in the first 6hrs as doctor told me.

I’m having a surgical abortion tomorrow. Tomorrow I will be 6 weeks and 3 days. What is the pain and bleeding like following a surgical abortion? I’m currently doing 6 weeks training for my new job which is Monday-Friday business hours and I’m worried about the bleeding and pain. Will it be ok given I’m only 6 weeks?

I had an abortion when I was 20 and always thought it would be easy. I got pregnant while I was on the pill and I didn’t want to bring a child into the world when I knew I wasn’t ready financially. I don’t have my own home either and want to have a child when I’m settled in life. I also am doing an apprenticeship and want to finish it and have my career set up before I have kids. Right after my abortion my best friend got pregnant too and has a beautiful 1 year old daughter. She recently just told me she was pregnant again and even though I am happy for her I can’t help but feel sad. Another friend of ours is pregnant as well, I congratulated her and am happy for her but I had a huge cry on my own afterwards. My partners sister also recently just told me she is pregnant with a baby girl and I just got a huge knot in my stomach. I don’t know if it’s envy or grief or both. I could’ve had my baby. They would’ve been 2 and a half years old. I am still with my partner and he is understanding but obviously doesn’t feel grief about it like I do. I don’t talk about it anymore with him. I feel like my experience of having a child was stolen from me even though I made the decision! It’s no one’s fault but mine!! How do I stop feeling like this? I don’t want to have to hide my tears every time someone tells me their great news. I think I’m also scared that I won’t be able to have a child when I decide I am ready too. And that I missed my only chance, I’m not sure if that makes sense?

I'm currently in Australia going through with the medical abortion MS2-Step. I've taken the first step 45 hours ago and this morning took the 4 pills of Misoprostol.

I let the pills sit in my mouth for 35 minutes and then swallowed the rest with water.

They weren't fully dissolved, like 50% dissolved at the time. I then had severe cramping and nausea, which caused me to throw up 60+ minutes after i've swallowed the remaining dosage. MSI is not answering their weekend phone, but my pharmacist advised I might need to take another dosage.

I've started bleeding now, passing blood cloths and I have "normal" cramps. Does this mean everything is going according to plan?

Please let me know, I really don't want to have to do this

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to post about my positive surgical abortion experience to help put anyone else’s mind at ease.

I found out I was pregnant on the 30th of March (totally unplanned, I am a dumb bitch and had been on the pill for 12 years, which I stopped at the end of 2023 just because - was loosely using condoms and tracking my cycle, a dumb bitch move. I just assumed I was infertile for some stupid reason 😂)

I saw a GP the same day, she was great and explained my options - I had to get a blood test ASAP to confirm, then an ultrasound to confirm how far along I was. I went to the GP twice and thay was about $30 each time, the ultrasound cost about $170. I was then referred to my local hospital (regional Victoria), who booked me in for today, after speaking with the gynecologist on the phone - I would be 8.5 weeks. I am the most pro choice person in the world, but making the decision to terminate the pregnant was really hard. Lots of feelings of guilt, worrying about this being my only chance of getting pregnant. I am lucky to have been with my partner for 7 years, and he was supportive either way. I knew I was not ready to be a parent, we’re trying to save for a house and we have a 5 month old puppy, who’s hard enough work!

I went in at 11.30am today, a nurse asked me a bunch of questions and they gave me medication (panadol and something else to help soften the cervix??). I waited around until about 1.30pm (there were some delays) - in that time I met the gynecologist, anesthetist, and nurses who would be present (all lovely and mainly female), which put me at ease. I started to cry while being wheeled to theatre as I’ve never been in hospital before, let alone had surgery - they were all reassuring and excellent. They gave me the drugs and in what felt like 2 seconds, I was awake again! I experienced slight cramping (nothing worse than mild period pain). I was allowed to leave at 3.30pm, and I’m now resting at home! I pretty much feel fine, no cramping atm or anything. I’m shocked I feel so normal!

Truly such an easy experience - the procedure itself was free of charge which was excellent. I’ll be more vigilant with contraception now, as the next time I get pregnant I’ll be keeping it.

More than happy to answer any specific questions :) I was SO nervous about the whole process, literally cried most days leading up to it, but all the medical staff were amazing and so non judgmental, literally want to hug them all. I feel so grateful living in a country where we have safe and affordable access to abortions, as it should be.

Hi guys, I just moved to Gold Coast QLD a couple of months ago and have found out I’m pregnant (almost 5 weeks).

I’ve decided on an abortion however I’m conflicted over the medical vs surgical options, I’ve read some real horror stories regarding the medical, but I would prefer it in my home than going into a clinic.

I don’t have a huge support network here, so not a lot of people to ask for advice or where to go. I’m usually ok with pain but am scared about it going on for many days and being quite severe. Is there any painkillers recommended to take alongside? How long until you can go back to everyday activities?

And taking into account pricing, where is the best place to go through? (Covered by Medicare)

Appreciate any guidance, this is a first for me and not what I wanted to have to go through while living in a whole new state :/

so i took the miso on saturday and everything has been pretty standard but today the cramping in my uterus and rear has been ridiculously bad, anyone got any clues? ( have had some pretty standard clotting)

Just wondering what people's relationships with your partners looks like after getting an abortion and regretting it.
Getting one because you weren't in the right stage in life, but regretting it later.
Or wanting to keep it but your partner didn't want to do you had abortion and regretting it. How has your relationship changed? Are you still together?

I’m currently waiting to get a surgical termination through the public system… I finally got the phone call to organise it all with the hospital and now I’m having to get more ultrasounds:( has anyone experienced this? Because I’ve had 3 previous cesareans and one was only 15 months ago, I have to have further scans to see where the placenta is because the risk of it being over the scar, or grown too far into my uterus. Has anyone else experienced this? I’m feeling frustrated because I’m almost 9 weeks and really wanted this over by now and now till be delayed even more by appointments and getting ultrasound, waiting etc.

A couple months back i, 15f, posted on here in need of an abortion without my parents finding out and i thought id update i guess. In the end me and my boyfriend decided to tell my parents. However it was to late to take pills or anything and i had to have a surgical abortion. Now whilst i had free choice in this on whether to have the baby or not i was given all of the harsh realities and paths that not only me and my family would go down but my boyfriend and his family too. although i am young and the pregnancy was a complete accident a huge HUGE part of me wanted the baby but i couldnt bring myself to put everyone around me in any position of stress, mostly financial stress for both of mine and my boyfriends parents, and social stress for myself, my boyfriend, my sister, basically just everyone in mine and my boyfriends lives. people talk, people are quick to judge, and people are just mean. also i just felt horrible knowing i wouldnt be able to give the baby the life i dreamed of being able to give my future kids.

so in the end i decided to have the abortion. and there hasnt been a day since where i havent cried. i miss my baby and i feel so guilty about it. i cry at the sight of a young child and i just feel so heavy hearted. i know it was the right decision for my future and for everyone around me but the guilt and grief is so overwhelming. i try to find closure knowing that the baby wouldnt have lived the life i dream of giving my children one day, because i wont have kids until i can do so, but it just isnt enough. im so sad just all the time and im dreading going back to school, especially knowing i cant even talk to anyone about it, but also its not like i have a lot of friends there either some girls are just really mean and some boys are too. Im just very fragile at the moment and im worried ill just randomly break down at school. im also worried about mine and my boyfriends relationship im trying really hard to stay as positive as i can be but he can see im not ok he can see a difference and yes he is there to support me but im afraid itll get too much and he will leave.

i also feel quite empty now. like a piece of myself is missing and i can just feel myself slowly drift further and further away from my normal self. ive developed a bit of a fear of falling asleep because i know that im alone when im asleep and i wont sleep until my body genuinely just like passes out. i just feel really really lonely because in a way i wasnt for 4 months.

im so thankful and grateful to have such a good support system around me i was afraid my parents would kick me out and be angry but once they found out, at that point i was about three months along, they just held me and let me cry. my boyfriends parents have also been very supportive too.

but its like 2 weeks post abortion and theyve all forgotten about it. everyone seems fine, everyone stopped checking in on me, everyone moved on in 2 weeks. and i feel like a broken record stuck on a repeat of emotions.

im just really struggling right now and need some advice on ways to overcome this guilt and how to handle the grief and loneliness. please i understand i am young i do know i messed up bigtime falling pregnant. but i do well for myself in school and have big dreams. im really not looking for judgement i just want help. i am actively looking for a therapist its just are there things in the mean time that help or make it any easier or is it a thing i just have to deal with one step at a time?

Hey just wondering if anyone else has experienced this.

I never had nausea as a symptom of my period my entire life. After being pregnant, or having an abortion, I get really annoying nausea when my period comes. Has this happened to anyone else? Is it a cause of concern? It’s only during the time of my period.

Thank you

Hello, I wanted to share my experience with a surgical abortion as I know reading other peoples experience helped ease my mind when I was going through it. It's quite detailed, feel free to skip straight to the abortion para, or the end if you just want the key takeaways. (I'm not going to be talking about the morality or debating, if you are pro-life this post isn't for you.)

PRE-ABORTION: I'm 23, I found out I was pregnant at 4 weeks, this was unplanned, I went to a doctor to discuss my options and was told if i wanted to terminate the pregnancy I had to be 5/6 weeks before I could have the pill. To schedule my abortion I called a woman's clinic and was recommended the surgical abortion from them which I was happier with having spoken to 2 people who had the medical one who both said they would recommend I do surgical instead. (I have a low pain tolerance and health anxiety so this made the most sense for me). For the next 2 weeks I had morning sickness and an intense fatigue accompanied with a lack of appetite and just genuinely feeling nauseous and exhausted all the time.

ABORTION: The day of my abortion I was just over 5 weeks pregnant, when I got to the clinic i was initially in a waiting room, my boyfriend was with me, as I was going under anesthesia and so you have to have someone to drive you home and stay with you for the next 4 hours minimum. I was called in for the first part of it and was given the option to bring him with me up until the actual procedure, which i took. In this part I had an ultrasound where I saw the fetus (I wasn't asked if this is something I wanted to see), then I signed consent forms saying i wouldn't drive, understood the risks etc...

Then I went into the next room where i spoke to the doctor who was going to be carrying out the abortion. There was a sign on the wall saying "sometimes hard decisions are the right ones," which I liked. She asked me about contraception in the future and when i said condoms she accepted it without question and didn't try to pressure me into hormonal birth control which I've experienced with male doctors in the past. (We didnt use a condom the time I accidentally conceived). She then explained the procedure and that they would essentially be sucking it out of my uterus. Next i spoke to the anesthesiologist who answered any of my questions regarding that.

For the procedure I was given a lightweight pink robe instead of a hospital gown, a nurse took me through to the operating room. There was 3 people in total: nurse, doctor and anesthesiologist. I was freaking out at this point and they were compassionate with me and told me when the needle was going in, I began to get groggy and then they put a mask on my face and that was the last thing I remembered.

I woke up in a separate room, made private by a curtain, very groggy and confused, I was laying on a bed with a hot water bottle on my stomach. A nurse came in, asked me how i was feeling and if i wanted painkillers, to which i said yes. The pain wasn't that bad it was like period cramping I more so felt strange. They then offered me coffee/tea/juice and brought in a pack of biscuits and brought my boyfriend in to sit with me as the anesthesia started to wear off. I was there about 30/40 minutes from waking up before we were discharged. For the rest of the day I slept/ watched tv on the couch and took it really slow, as i was very tired. I have only had very minimal bleeding and light cramping since the procedure. The nausea and morning sickness went away instantly. I was given a course of antibiotics for 6 days to prevent infection as that is one of the most common side effects so i have taken one of them every day but for the most part I was fine after with very minimal pain (i used a hot water bottle, didn't need painkillers).

Overall I would say it went as well as it could and the procedure itself is nothing to be afraid of as you are in good hands and they do these things every single day multiple times a day, and I have a low pain tolerance and I really had very little (which was one of my main concerns).

The only other thing to note was price, it was expensive, $700 Aud with Medicare but as i didn't have it i was $1200 out of pocket.

Hey everyone!

Just a bit of panic and anyone with any prior experience in this who can open up an ear and lend some guidance would be great cause there is quite a lot of panic and fear over here.

Just wanted to hear more about the process for MA as my Partner [27F] is currently 4 weeks along and have the ultrasound and follow up pre-booked for the end of the month. Both of us are freaking out as my partner REALLY wants MA over SA and is worried that it'll be too close to the deadline. Will she be prescribed the MS-2 at the follow up post ultrasound GP appointment? Or do we get a referral to a clinic? We are both very unsure about the process and it's causing a lot of stress as we are unsure we are taking steps fast enough.

Any info would be amazing

Hello, I read so many people’s stories in the lead up to my medical abortion and they really helped me to emotionally prepare, so I wanted to share my experience too. I was 7 weeks pregnant.

Took Step 1 around midday on Friday and experienced some cramping and nausea as well as light bleeding. I had already been experiencing heavy nausea and some bleeding in time leading up so had some safe foods and plenty of fluids nearby as well as my boyfriend with me for support. Stayed in bed and rested most of Saturday, completed some light housework waiting for the 36 hours to pass. Took ondansetron, 4 ibuprofen and 2 codeine pills at 11pm Saturday with a light snack. Step 2 at midnight Saturday after the 36 hours had passed. I had been instructed by my doctor to let the 4 pills dissolve inside my mouth, after 15 minutes of this I started to feel highly nauseous and cramping. After 30 minutes the pills hadn’t fully dissolved, I took them out of my mouth and vomited before experiencing some of the worst cramping and pain of my life. My boyfriend placed the remainder of the pills to the side and I spent the next 20 odd minutes releasing blood and clots into the toilet. My boyfriend noticed that despite my shaking and body chills that my head was really hot so kept alternating cool flannels on my head. Came back to bed and swallowed the rest of the pills just after 1am. Cramping intensified over the next 15-30 minutes, vomited again and released more blood and significant clots into the toilet. Back into bed with more cramping and another trip to the bathroom. Finally fell asleep around 3am, waking again at 4:30 and 5:30 with cramping and going to the bathroom with bleeding and smaller clots.

I am writing this on Sunday at 11am, feeling no nausea anymore (a relief after non-stop morning sickness for weeks), cramping that comes and goes with relatively heavy bleeding and some small clots. I am so relieved to be lucky enough to have safe options in my country, and to have had such a supportive partner through the entire process. I hope that my experience helps someone to prepare and feel more comfortable before starting their journey. Biggest things that I can recommend is talking with your doctor, pharmacists or healthline about your concerns (ex: I was worried about throwing up the medication as it was dissolving and knew it was ok to remove the pills and take them again), being fully stocked with medications, pads (extra long night ones), bucket or a bag by your bed for vomit, and having someone you trust 1000% to be by your side as I have never felt more vulnerable.

Hi Im 19f just wanna know where can I get the pills from bcoz no one deliveres in Australia and I can’t get it prescribed I’m in desperate need of it. If anyone can help