Hi Ladies,
I had a terrible experience with medical abortion, and wanted to share what helped me control the awful pain.
I am an active female in my mid 30's and I just wasn't ready to have a baby yet. My boyfriend and I decided together that the right choice was to terminate. Psychologically and emotionally I felt content with this decision and mostly did not have feelings of regret or sadness. I think everyone reacts differently so check in with yourself and talk it through with people you love to make sure you are making the right choice for you.
Day 1: I made an appointment with PP and decided a medical abortion for my 7 week pregnancy seemed easier and more convenient, as i could do it on my day off, and it would not be so invasive. I was warned about the mild to moderate contractions and complications arising from taking the second set of pills. At the clinic I took the ru486 pill, 200 mg of mifepristone. My pregnancy to this point was very difficult, I had severe nausea and lack of appetite and lost 6 lbs in the 3 weeks since implantation. They checked my iron count and it was 13 which was normal and healthy to proceed with medical abortion. After the mifepristone, i felt "funny", just off, like something was wrong. I felt dizzy for the first few hours.
Day 2: Exactly 25 hours after the mifepristone, i took 4 pills of misoprostol (880mg), the prostaglandin that would start the contractions. I let the pills dissolve with some candy next to my cheeks. The 800mg is double the amount recommended by the FDA but i was not aware of this until I did some fact-checking on PP. They prescribe a higher amount due to some inabsorption due to throwing up the pills, and to guarantee the medical dosage is high enough to prevent partial or incomplete miscarriage. I did throw up 45 minutes after the pills went into my mouth, so I hoped I got the medicine I needed. I tried taking analgesics but also threw those up soon after, so i had no choice but to endure the pain.
Pain: Worst pain ever. No joke, no exaggeration. Awful, terrible, unquitting, terror. I don't want to scare everyone here, but this was my experience. Some women only experience mild cramping, mine was severe. It vacillated from a 6 on the pain scale to an 8.5, never going down below a 4. This was without a break, started 45 minutes after the pills and increased to a crescendo 2 hours in. I couldn't walk or talk. Just wimper and lay next to the toilet. Taking turns throwing up, diarrhea, and just writhing in pain. My boyfriend was at a loss of how to help me. All I could think of is will this ever end? Please just stop so I can breathe for 3 seconds! I had no energy to cry, just try to curl up and hope this will go away. I couldn't hold down the vicodin for longer than 15 minutes so I hardly got any relief from that. I was not really bleeding at all either so all the cramping felt meaningless.
Relief: Brilliant nurse of a boyfriend chopped up some oxycodone, about 3 mg for me to snort. Yes snort up my nose with a straw. I don't condone snorting any drugs for any reason, but if you can't hold down any pain killers in your stomach, you can inject them in a hospital, but i did not have this option. I couldn't even lift my head up enough to look at it, but he insisted that it should help, if nothing else could. Finally i breathed it in and in SECONDS ALL PAIN WAS GONE!!! I got up, smiled and watched movies the rest of the night while the pregnancy passed painlessly in my pad a few hours later. I was instantly able to hold down food and took Vicodin 1 hour after the oxy to continue with pain relief. My pain went from a 9 to a 0 in seconds.
I don't know how anyone could have handled that level of cramps and pain for 6 hours without relief. They should warm you at PP how to deal with pain if you can't hold down meds. I would hate for any other woman to go through this ordeal without this information. Thank god i have a nurse boyfriend who knows oxy can be snorted. (Vicodin and other pain meds CANNOT be snorted) It is not ideal to snort tylenol with the oxy but that's how it comes, so be careful. Drink lots of water. Watch your body, do not overdose with oxy! 3mg was enough for me, the oxy comes in 5, 10, up to 40mg pills so know the dosage.
Please do not give your opinions here on drug use and abuse. This isn't drug abuse, its acute pain management in a dire situation and we do what we must. I do not condone oxycodone use for anything other than pain management, generally only severe.
Hope this info helps some woman out there.
My medical abortion was successful with very light bleeding the 3rd and 4th days like a light period. I would be hesitant to do it again. That was pretty hardcore pain and cramping. Not mild-moderate like they said. I am having an IUC installed in a week to make sure I never have to go through this again.
I had a terrible experience with medical abortion, and wanted to share what helped me control the awful pain.
I am an active female in my mid 30's and I just wasn't ready to have a baby yet. My boyfriend and I decided together that the right choice was to terminate. Psychologically and emotionally I felt content with this decision and mostly did not have feelings of regret or sadness. I think everyone reacts differently so check in with yourself and talk it through with people you love to make sure you are making the right choice for you.
Day 1: I made an appointment with PP and decided a medical abortion for my 7 week pregnancy seemed easier and more convenient, as i could do it on my day off, and it would not be so invasive. I was warned about the mild to moderate contractions and complications arising from taking the second set of pills. At the clinic I took the ru486 pill, 200 mg of mifepristone. My pregnancy to this point was very difficult, I had severe nausea and lack of appetite and lost 6 lbs in the 3 weeks since implantation. They checked my iron count and it was 13 which was normal and healthy to proceed with medical abortion. After the mifepristone, i felt "funny", just off, like something was wrong. I felt dizzy for the first few hours.
Day 2: Exactly 25 hours after the mifepristone, i took 4 pills of misoprostol (880mg), the prostaglandin that would start the contractions. I let the pills dissolve with some candy next to my cheeks. The 800mg is double the amount recommended by the FDA but i was not aware of this until I did some fact-checking on PP. They prescribe a higher amount due to some inabsorption due to throwing up the pills, and to guarantee the medical dosage is high enough to prevent partial or incomplete miscarriage. I did throw up 45 minutes after the pills went into my mouth, so I hoped I got the medicine I needed. I tried taking analgesics but also threw those up soon after, so i had no choice but to endure the pain.
Pain: Worst pain ever. No joke, no exaggeration. Awful, terrible, unquitting, terror. I don't want to scare everyone here, but this was my experience. Some women only experience mild cramping, mine was severe. It vacillated from a 6 on the pain scale to an 8.5, never going down below a 4. This was without a break, started 45 minutes after the pills and increased to a crescendo 2 hours in. I couldn't walk or talk. Just wimper and lay next to the toilet. Taking turns throwing up, diarrhea, and just writhing in pain. My boyfriend was at a loss of how to help me. All I could think of is will this ever end? Please just stop so I can breathe for 3 seconds! I had no energy to cry, just try to curl up and hope this will go away. I couldn't hold down the vicodin for longer than 15 minutes so I hardly got any relief from that. I was not really bleeding at all either so all the cramping felt meaningless.
Relief: Brilliant nurse of a boyfriend chopped up some oxycodone, about 3 mg for me to snort. Yes snort up my nose with a straw. I don't condone snorting any drugs for any reason, but if you can't hold down any pain killers in your stomach, you can inject them in a hospital, but i did not have this option. I couldn't even lift my head up enough to look at it, but he insisted that it should help, if nothing else could. Finally i breathed it in and in SECONDS ALL PAIN WAS GONE!!! I got up, smiled and watched movies the rest of the night while the pregnancy passed painlessly in my pad a few hours later. I was instantly able to hold down food and took Vicodin 1 hour after the oxy to continue with pain relief. My pain went from a 9 to a 0 in seconds.
I don't know how anyone could have handled that level of cramps and pain for 6 hours without relief. They should warm you at PP how to deal with pain if you can't hold down meds. I would hate for any other woman to go through this ordeal without this information. Thank god i have a nurse boyfriend who knows oxy can be snorted. (Vicodin and other pain meds CANNOT be snorted) It is not ideal to snort tylenol with the oxy but that's how it comes, so be careful. Drink lots of water. Watch your body, do not overdose with oxy! 3mg was enough for me, the oxy comes in 5, 10, up to 40mg pills so know the dosage.
Please do not give your opinions here on drug use and abuse. This isn't drug abuse, its acute pain management in a dire situation and we do what we must. I do not condone oxycodone use for anything other than pain management, generally only severe.
Hope this info helps some woman out there.
My medical abortion was successful with very light bleeding the 3rd and 4th days like a light period. I would be hesitant to do it again. That was pretty hardcore pain and cramping. Not mild-moderate like they said. I am having an IUC installed in a week to make sure I never have to go through this again.
I am sorry you had such a hard time with your medical abortion! I hope you are feeling better now and thank you for the advice on pain management. It might help someone out there. Just to the women who are debating medical abortion, not everyone experiences severe pain. It was mild, like period cramps for me.
Did you just not feel good that one day that you took the pills ?
I'm 16 and I too had a medical abortion. The pain that I went through after dissolving the 4 tablets in my cheeks with crippling and crept on me only 20 minutes after leaving the clinic. I was crawled up in a ball rolling around on the floor. I couldnt tell my parents because i didnt want to explain the pregnancy. I needed the after hours number to call my doctor at the clinic for help. My booklet was on the other side of the room and beacuse the pain was so bad i couldnt stand i needed to crawl like a work on the ground to get it. My doctor suggested a hot shower. It was the best thing i had ever done in my life. I Had the water almost boiling and just let it run on my stomach for half an hour. I just wish the doctor had suggested that before i left. But by far the most painful thing ive ever been through.
I can't agree more! This procedure was the worst pain I have EVER felt! Pain isn't a word for it!!!!! I couldn't sleep, or move...crying was even too painful! I threw up as soon as I took the painkillers! It was just awful!!!!!
The hot shower helped tremendously-because I didn't have a hot water pad (which I would also recommend)!
This will never happen to me again- but if it ever did and I needed an abortion, I would do the surgical!
I also had a medical abortion and truth be told the doctors need to prepare us for the pain. The pain is unbearable, nagging and no amount of those cheap otc painkillers help. Weed did the trick for me when I was almost giving up on life
When you said your pregnancy passed in your pad, did you see your baby?
MEDGAL,
I'm going through it right now, and the way you described your pain is exactly how I felt on Saturday evening (today is Wednesday morning). I'm also in my 30s and felt emotionally at ease with our decision. Unfortunately, my boyfriend isn't a nurse so I endured that pain for about 5 to 6 hours. I experienced everything you described. I thought the worst was over - I. Was. Wrong! Sunday was normal for me, and I was so relieved to know that pain would never come back. Well, Monday morning I came to work and heavy bleeding started - I still can't tell what constitutes "heavy bleeding." At night, I watched a football game and didn't think much of it. At 2am, I was woken up to what is best described as someone stabbing me in the abdomen with a butcher knife and just twisting it. Saturday night was then repeated, as I lay on the bathroom floor in pure agony. My boyfriend had no idea what to do, and I just wanted him far away from me. Around 5am, I somehow fell asleep. I woke up to my alarm at 630am, and had to get ready for work. I was in so much pain, but it wasn't nearly as bad as just a few hours prior. I also had a meeting with a client that I could not miss. As I was brushing my teeth I felt the "large clump" pass. I went to the bathroom and knew that the pregnancy had passed. I called the clinic, and was reassured this was normal. After that, I bled all day Tuesday (yesterday) at work - changing a heavy maxi pad every 3 to 4 hours. Then, around 5pm, the intense cramping began again. I took 2 800mg of Iburprofen within 2 hours. It helped a little. Now, here I am at work again experiencing the intense cramping. I can't even cry. I just want it to end. I am told it's normal to cramp. I'm so scared. I want this to end. I will never choose a medical abortion again.
I'm going through it right now, and the way you described your pain is exactly how I felt on Saturday evening (today is Wednesday morning). I'm also in my 30s and felt emotionally at ease with our decision. Unfortunately, my boyfriend isn't a nurse so I endured that pain for about 5 to 6 hours. I experienced everything you described. I thought the worst was over - I. Was. Wrong! Sunday was normal for me, and I was so relieved to know that pain would never come back. Well, Monday morning I came to work and heavy bleeding started - I still can't tell what constitutes "heavy bleeding." At night, I watched a football game and didn't think much of it. At 2am, I was woken up to what is best described as someone stabbing me in the abdomen with a butcher knife and just twisting it. Saturday night was then repeated, as I lay on the bathroom floor in pure agony. My boyfriend had no idea what to do, and I just wanted him far away from me. Around 5am, I somehow fell asleep. I woke up to my alarm at 630am, and had to get ready for work. I was in so much pain, but it wasn't nearly as bad as just a few hours prior. I also had a meeting with a client that I could not miss. As I was brushing my teeth I felt the "large clump" pass. I went to the bathroom and knew that the pregnancy had passed. I called the clinic, and was reassured this was normal. After that, I bled all day Tuesday (yesterday) at work - changing a heavy maxi pad every 3 to 4 hours. Then, around 5pm, the intense cramping began again. I took 2 800mg of Iburprofen within 2 hours. It helped a little. Now, here I am at work again experiencing the intense cramping. I can't even cry. I just want it to end. I am told it's normal to cramp. I'm so scared. I want this to end. I will never choose a medical abortion again.
I am relieved to see that many women have gone through the same experience as me. At 7 weeks gestation I thought I would be early enough for an easy medical termination opposed to the risks of surgery. After taking the 4 ru486 tablets inserted into the vagina (in Australia/QLD this is recommended) I felt nothing for around 3 hours. I went to sleep , waking up at midnight with moderate cramping. I took two panadine forte which were given to me for the pain. Immediately Nausea Made Me Throw These Up. The severe pain escalated in waves. I spent around 4 hours lying in front of the toilet with diaorrhea, severe cramping and throwing up water and all attempts at pain meds. The bleeding finally started around 5 hours into this. I was exhausted, delirious, could not speak and difficulty breathing with hot and cold flushes. my boyfriend took me to emergency department and I was given IV morphine, fluids and meds for the nausea. I felt relieved and was finally able to rest passing the gestational sac at about 4 am at around the 8th hour, painlessly. I regretted not going sooner.
Ru486 and medical abortion itself a good option for those wanting privacy, BUT NOT WITHOUT pain relief. It is contradictive to give oral pain medication for a drug designed to cause nausea.
Would I do it again? Yes. For sure I would still prefer this over d & c (surgical option) but ONLY with another form of pain relief like rectal or transdermal
Ru486 and medical abortion itself a good option for those wanting privacy, BUT NOT WITHOUT pain relief. It is contradictive to give oral pain medication for a drug designed to cause nausea.
Would I do it again? Yes. For sure I would still prefer this over d & c (surgical option) but ONLY with another form of pain relief like rectal or transdermal
I recently had to chose medical abortion. My doctor ran me through the process. To manage the pain I was given pain relievers to take at certain times. When i dissolved the first miso dose in my mouth the pain started. I had so much pain that I had to take a pain reliver that would put me to sleep. When I woke up 2hrs after the first miso dose I passed out the sac, then took another pain reliever to put me to sleep for another 2 hrs. When I awoke the pain was drastically reduced and so was the bleeding. The pain without very good pain relievers is no joke at all.
I'm sorry it was so awful for you. I'm curious though, When you said, "you let the pills dissolve with some candy next to your cheek," and that you threw up 45 minutes after you put the pills in your mouth. did you take the four pills orally? I was instructed that misoprostol needed to be inserted vaginally while I lay horizontal and wait about 30-50 minutes for them to dissolve.
It's different from place to place, I took it orally, the pills make you very nauseous, so it is recommended that you let them dissolve in between your gums and your cheek for 30 minutes, then swallow the rest of the pills. That way the majority of the medicine enters your blood stream, in case you throw up. Taking it orally makes it come on much faster. I had pain and bleeding almost 40 minutes after putting the pills between my gums and teeth. Taking it vaginally eliminates nausea but takes longer to set in.
It wasn't that bad for me at all I cleaned , danced, and everything else !
Thank you all for your comments!
I had to do the procedure yesterday and I read all your posts before to prepare, but there isn't really any way to prepare, besides mentally I guess.
I usually have bad period cramps in general so I think I have built a bit of a high pain tolerance because of it, but the abortion cramps are much worse! Where I live we don't have oxy or Vicodin so I had to stick to Advil (which doesn't do jack sh*t to be honest lol) and it's also really hard to keep the pills down ... but what saved my life was a heating pad!!! At one point the pain was so unbearable I didn't know what to do with myself, the only pain killers we had at home were morphine based and my dr. Recommend to not use it because it was too strong, so I was kind of stuck suffering ... till my dad gave me this heating bad that I rolled up on my stomach. Honestly a life saver for anyone who is too sick to keep pills down.
It's a pretty bad experience but just when you think it'll never end... it eventually does and it feels amazing haha I wouldn't recommend going through it alone, you need someone there to cater to you for sure haha
I hope this can help someone like the other comments helped me.
Xo
I had to do the procedure yesterday and I read all your posts before to prepare, but there isn't really any way to prepare, besides mentally I guess.
I usually have bad period cramps in general so I think I have built a bit of a high pain tolerance because of it, but the abortion cramps are much worse! Where I live we don't have oxy or Vicodin so I had to stick to Advil (which doesn't do jack sh*t to be honest lol) and it's also really hard to keep the pills down ... but what saved my life was a heating pad!!! At one point the pain was so unbearable I didn't know what to do with myself, the only pain killers we had at home were morphine based and my dr. Recommend to not use it because it was too strong, so I was kind of stuck suffering ... till my dad gave me this heating bad that I rolled up on my stomach. Honestly a life saver for anyone who is too sick to keep pills down.
It's a pretty bad experience but just when you think it'll never end... it eventually does and it feels amazing haha I wouldn't recommend going through it alone, you need someone there to cater to you for sure haha
I hope this can help someone like the other comments helped me.
Xo
How many weeks pregnant were you?