Hi there,

I’m here to tell you the story of my abortion. It’s one of those things that you don’t think you’ll ever have to go through until you do.

I’m 20 years old and made the silly mistake of drunkenly sleeping with my ex boyfriend on night. I was taking a contraceptive pill at the time but I must’ve missed a day or something.

Fast forward a few weeks and I was terribly emotional so I went to the doctor and got prescribed a new anxiety medication. I began feeling quite sick in the mornings however brushed it off as a side effect of starting new meds.

A couple weeks pass and my period is late. I didn’t want to take a pregnancy test because I was in denial but finally brought myself to do so. When it came back positive I honestly had no idea what to do. I told my ex boyfriend what had happened and he came over that night and told me he was in favour of me getting an abortion; however his opinion was not what led me to do so.

I had been very hormonal and was struggling to control my emotions. I told my work what was going on and actually had to take a few days off to process. I booked in with my psychologist and also with my doctor to get a blood test to confirm that I was in fact pregnant.

In the lead up to my blood test. I told my mum that I was pregnant. She is very pro life and told me that she would adopt the baby. I was very against this idea because I knew it would cause a wedge between us.

By the time my doctors appointment has rolled around, I had make my decision to terminate my pregnancy. It was a very hard decision for me to make, however I had to weigh up my mental health issues, my financial stability and many other things. This all led me to believe that I was not in the right headspace to have a child.

In Western Australia where I live, you must have a doctor’s referral for an abortion. While I got my blood test I spoke with my doctor about my options and he told me that of the results came back positive he would write up the referral for me right away. I got very lucky that my doctor is open to my decisions. I can’t help but think some women may not be so fortunate.

The hardest part about this process was definitely telling my mother that I was booked in for the treatment. She was very disappointed in me and I still feel quite upset about it. However, I do have good friends who support me.

A close friend of mine came with me to the clinic and sat with me for the 2 hour process. I felt very nauseous but everyone at the clinic was so lovely and understanding. It made me feel better to see other women my age there too, going through the exact same motions as me. It did hurt to not have a partner there though.

I chose a medicinal abortion which is legal up to 9 weeks in Australia. While at the clinic, I had an ultrasound to check I was eligible (I was 6 weeks along) and that was an odd feeling however they do not let you see the ultrasound unless you ask which I feel makes a lot of sense.

Following the ultrasound, you privately speak with a nurse to ensure nobody is forcing you into this decision. Although this was entirely my decision, I do like that they take the time and effort to check.

You then go over the risks with the doctor. Some of which sounds very scary but I didn’t have any issues. Then finally, I took the first tablet which stops the growth and hormones. They send you home with 4 tablets to take the next day which are the ones that actually expel everything from your body.

I didn’t expect the next day to be so rough. My ex boyfriend came to look after me because you cannot be left alone. The 4 tablets sat on the sides of my tongue for half an hour and it was rather unpleasant. An hour or so after swallowing the tablets I felt incredibly nauseous and vomited.

I was scared that the procedure would no longer work if I vomited up the tablets so I called the clinic to check. They ensured me that as long as I had kept the tablets on my tongue for half an hour, the process would still be effective. The cramping also wasn’t too fun. I bled for a couple of days.

I feel better now and I’m glad people supported me through the whole thing. Things with my mum are still kind of rough but they will get better. I hope by reading my story, you can feel more comfortable with your own decision and the process you will be going though.