A 12-Week Abortion: My Experience with the Second Stage - Tips for Easing Pain and Speeding Up the Process

Hello again!

I'm back to share my experience with the second stage of a medical abortion. ...

I've written a detailed story about my pregnancy here, covering the first stage of a medical abortion. To keep things brief, my pregnancy was wanted, just like the previous ones. My genetic 'flaws' were under control, and I'd addressed any vitamin and iron deficiencies. Still, the pregnancy stalled at 7 weeks, and I didn't find out until 11 weeks and 4 days into my pregnancy. By the time I got all my test results to the hospital, my pregnancy had progressed to 12.1 weeks.

...

What is a medical abortion, and how does it work?

A medical abortion is when you take pills to terminate your pregnancy. No scraping, no vacuum. No surgery. It's the safest method available today. Recovery is much faster, too. You take the pills, and that's it.

...

In the country I'm currently living in (Belarus), they only do medical abortions in hospitals after 5 weeks. Here, the rules are strict, and no private medical center would agree to terminate a pregnancy over 5 weeks, citing legal reasons. There's a risk of heavy bleeding, which can only be managed in a hospital setting.

My previous abortions, with stalled pregnancies, were done in a private medical center in Russia.

After getting the paperwork for hospitalization, I asked to be put in a private room. The ward I was in is meant for women with high-risk pregnancies, those at risk of miscarriage, and others. I didn't want anyone to see me going through this, or ask me questions, and I didn't want to freak out the other pregnant women – Corona's not picky, after all.

Plus, remembering my previous abortions, I recall how often I'd rush to the bathroom after taking the pills. And rushing to the bathroom from a regular ward on a different floor wasn't exactly the best idea. My private room had an en-suite bathroom, which I could clean and sterilize myself, and use without having to 'take a chance.' I'm a bit of a neat freak, to say the least. The room also had a shower, which was really great.

When I checked into the hospital, they gave me the 'Mifepristone' pills on a Monday evening. That was the first stage of the abortion. On Tuesday, I just lay in the hospital.

The next morning, on Wednesday, they brought me the 'Misoprostol' – that's the second stage of the medical abortion.

That medication is produced by the same company that makes 'Mifepristone': STADA (Obninsk Chemical and Pharmaceutical Company', Russia).

Inside the packaging, I found an instruction sheet with a pretty lengthy description of the medication, its side effects, and compatibility with other meds, along with the actual pills – small, white, and tiny.

Preparation:My doctor warned me not to eat or drink anything before taking "Miroluta". My last meal was on Tuesday evening. I also had to use sanitary pads, as I would experience heavy bleeding, similar to my period.

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I took sanitary pads for maximum size, just in case, and also brought some painkillers (whatever I found at home) for any discomfort. I also packed toilet paper and soap for my stay in the hospital.

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This medication is taken in two stages. I had to dissolve the first two pills at 6:00 am. The second ones were to be taken at 9:00.

!!! Important: These pills aren't swallowed, but rather dissolved. This method of intake helps them start working faster.

My previous abortions were done with different pills that needed to be taken orally. "Miroluta" has no taste, doesn't cause salivation, and feels like you're dissolving crushed paper that absorbs all the saliva in your mouth... You dissolve the pills, and your mouth feels dry! You can't drink anything. For the first time in my life, I felt an intense need for water! Even after a cesarean delivery, I didn't experience this. The pills take a while to dissolve due to the dryness in your mouth. I found a solution: just rinse your mouth with water. That was my lifesaver!

I didn't have to wait long: within an hour of putting the first two pills in my mouth, I started experiencing contractions and bloody discharge with small clots.

I also felt one of the side effects of the medication: a mild headache, which was a blessing in disguise, as it only lasted for a day.

The contractions were quite strong, and I asked the doctors for painkillers, but they refused, saying it might interfere with the medication's effect. I was on the edge of taking my own painkillers and drinking them. I tried to endure it.

* I do remember how difficult my second abortion was, when they immediately gave me painkillers, and the embryo didn't come out that day. I had to take the pills again... This option didn't sit well with me. I didn't want any further manipulation or surgical interventions, and here, if the embryo didn't come out, they would have cleaned me out 100%!

I was also terrified that, after a cesarean delivery, there's a chance that the embryo gets stuck and doesn't come out... Not that!

I was so motivated to get everything over with in one day! I didn't want to deal with the aftermath, I didn't want any complications, I just wanted to get it all sorted out today!

This time, I decided not to just lie there like I did during my previous abortions, and I tried to move around as much as possible.

"The embryo has to come out! And that's it! No other way!" ••••• It was super painful, I couldn't find a comfortable position, I was fidgeting with my legs when I was sitting on the bed. I tried to breathe deeply, relax my body... I sat in the 'turkey' pose ('lotus'), did the 'butterfly' and 'cat' exercises. By the way, at one point, when I was doing another 'cat' stretch, I felt a release, and the pain in my lower back and pelvic area suddenly subsided. That was my break from the next contraction, which was before I took the second pill.

I was beating myself up, telling myself I could do it. I tried to distract myself from the pain as much as possible. I imagined the ocean... I put on my favorite show, which was playing in the background and slightly took my mind off the pain.

Do you know Lucy Chibochina's song "...Why do I need the sun in Monaco..."? And her dance move to that song? It's got some hip action in it! I tried to do that dance too! I also tried to sit on the floor, in a more masculine position. My goal was to open up my hip joints, improve blood flow, and help my uterus get the embryo out faster.

After taking the pills, I started feeling nauseous. I was most afraid that I'd be vomiting, and the pills would stop working. About 1.5 hours later, I did get sick... Before the second pill, I got sick again, and the pain was unbearable, I couldn't find a comfortable position, I didn't have the energy to move...

Just thinking about having to take another round of pills made me queasy! I was experiencing some discharge, but it wasn't like my previous abortions, and to be honest, it was worrying me - what if the embryo didn't come out? I remember how much blood I lost during my previous abortions...

My doctor came to visit me once (she caught me on the toilet), I asked her again if there was any way to numb the pain, and she told me to just bear it.

Before taking the second dose, I got into the shower. The warm water slightly relaxed me and took my mind off the pain. After the shower, I didn't even have time to dry myself before I coughed, and out came so much blood, it was like someone had been stabbed! I went back to the shower. My legs were freezing, I was shivering with cold and pain.

Time to take the second dose. Ugh, it's disgusting! Revolting! My mouth was already dry! I managed to dissolve the second dose in about 20 minutes.

Another trip to the bathroom...My condition was terrible, I sat on the floor, holding onto the sink. Ten minutes later, I got sick again! Not even an hour had passed since I took the second dose.

When I came out of the bathroom, I found a position on the bed that slightly eased the pain. I was sitting on the floor, with my back against the wall. The wall was cold - it helped cool me down and slightly ease the pain. My doctor came to visit me again, and when I told her I'd gotten sick after the second dose, she said "Oh!". I saw the confusion in her eyes, and her conclusion was: "Just hang in there, if it doesn't come out, then we'll do a D&C!"

Phew...!!! I'm not going through all this just to have to get a D&C afterwards!

As soon as the doctor left, I went back to the bathroom. I sat on the toilet, and suddenly the excruciating pain was gone. In the cup, I saw a fertilized egg.

(((!!! I was catching all my discharge in a cup, as instructed. Can you imagine having to do that every time you go to the bathroom?)))

I burst into tears - from exhaustion, anger, relief, and grief. I handed the egg to the on-duty nurse, who confirmed it was the egg, and asked if I'd be doing a histology test.

For me, as a foreigner, that's a paid procedure... They told me it would determine the cause of the miscarriage. I agreed, signed the papers for the test. (((It was an absolutely useless and uninformative test, where the pathologist's result is typical for all stillbirths! My hematologist told me that, and after getting the histology result, I completely agreed! It's not a genetic test that identifies any gene mutations in the fetus!)))

After that, I had a chair exam. It was unbearable!

When I got back to my room, I started drinking water! It tasted amazing!!! I drank a lot of water... and then I threw up again. Well, when everything's over, and your body needs it, it's not a sin to induce vomiting with those nasty pills.

The pain after the egg came out lasted for about 3 hours, but it was like my period. It was more intense on the left side. The doctor allowed me to take drospirenone, but I decided to tough it out. I was extremely weak and just wanted to take a nap.

That same day, I was planning to leave the hospital, but the doctor advised me to stay: they gave me an anti-inflammatory IV after the abortion, and another one in the evening.

The next day, I had another check-up! (How many times can you have one?!). And an ultrasound.

The ultrasound showed that the egg was indeed out. And on the same day, Thursday, I was discharged from the hospital. Since I was supposed to stay in the hospital for a week (to undergo physical therapy and get IVs), but I didn't, they prescribed me a course of oral antibiotics and asked me to come back in 10 days for another ultrasound.

Result: It took me about 3.5 hours to get the egg out with the help of 'Mirolut'. During the abortion, I used 4 pads, and after the abortion, I had my regular period for about 5 days, followed by a light discharge.

The doctor's instructions were:

* Sexual abstinence and physical inactivity for 14 days.

* Contraception. Since the reproductive organs aren't damaged, pregnancy can occur at any time. However, it's better to give the body some time to recover from the shock, restore the endometrium. Therefore, it's not recommended to get pregnant for three cycles.

Thanks for reading, and I hope these pills never come in handy for you!

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