Despite being one of the most common ways of ending an early pregnancy in the UK, medical abortion continues to remain wrapped in confusion and uncertainty. To this day, many women are simply unaware of what happens with this procedure or what things they’ll face as it goes on, creating nothing but a ton of unnecessary anxiety.
If you know what to expect during an abortion, along with all the red flags you need to look out for, the whole thing can become a lot smoother and safer. So with that in mind, let’s walk through what actually happens after taking abortion pills, what’s considered normal, and when you should seek help.
What happens during an abortion pill procedure?
Generally, a medical abortion makes use of two pills – taken one after the other. The first one you take is mifepristone, followed by misoprostol. The former stops the production of the hormone your reproductive organ needs to progress the pregnancy, while the latter stimulates a kind of cramping to flush the pregnancy out.
It goes like this. You take mifepristone, and it stops the hormone progesterone from doing its job. When that happens, the pregnancy is no longer allowed to grow and develop further. A day or two after this, you take misoprostol. After you take this one, the walls of your uterus basically collapse and that pushes out the pregnancy cleanly.
Now, you’ll feel the aftereffects of these pills a few hours afterwards, but don’t worry, most of them are within the margin of expectation. During the first day, you will experience a bit of blood flow, and your belly pain will be at its worst – it will basically feel like heavy period cramps, and it will not be difficult to manage, especially if you take a painkiller. But fortunately, most people find that this bit wraps up within a day or two at most. The only thing that remains is a bit of faint spotting that may last a few days or weeks at most. While unlikely, on the off-chance that your cramps are hitting extra hard or the blood flow isn’t stopping, be sure to seek medical care as soon as possible.
Pain after abortion pills
Now, it should be obvious to anyone that aborting a pregnancy is not an easy thing, and in such a process, you are going to feel a bit of pain afterwards. After all, your womb needs to basically contract and squeeze itself to push out the pregnancy tissue. That bit of pain and tightening is essential in that regard, as nothing would happen otherwise. So rest assured, what may feel like a bad period cramp is just your body doing its job.
This pain will show up in a kind of rhythmic pattern. At first, all you’ll feel is a gentle ache, not too dissimilar to when your period just starts. But as misoprostol kicks in, you’ll feel the tightening in your belly grow sharper, coming in waves as the pregnancy moves out. When the tissue is finally pushed out, the soreness will ease little by little over the next few days.
Interestingly, a lot of women’s experiences with pain during abortion differ wildly. Some feel sharp discomfort. Others barely feel anything, or even wince. Part of that has to do with how far along someone is – the longer the gestation is, the more pain will likely follow an abortion.
This concept even extends to medications, as something like an ibuprofen may do wonders for one person, but prove useless for another. On the other hand, providing warmth to the lower belly during this period is a proven source of comfort for nearly all women. Rest is equally important – you need to give your body permission to slow down during this time.
But as mentioned before, there can be situations in medical abortion when pain may become a cause for concern. Severe pain that doesn’t improve with medication, for one, absolutely warrants a call to your healthcare provider. Similarly, pain that is accompanied by fever or foul-smelling discharge is a clear indicator that you need prompt medical attention.
Bleeding and Clotting – What to expect
After you take your second pill, you’ll likely notice a lot of blood and maybe even some clots flush out. This is pretty much normal, and after those first few hours, that strong blood flow will likely slow down. After that comes a stretch of just light drops or stains that tends to last up to fourteen days.
Naturally, you’ll experience a bit of clotting as your body tries to respond to a big change in its physiology. These clots simply contain some leftover tissue that may have remained inside the womb after the abortion. Now, these can range from tiny to about half the width of a tennis ball. Sometimes, they can even grow to the size of a small fruit – don’t panic when that happens. This is just your body cleaning itself up.
When you first experience blood flow, focus on how heavy it feels and if it is lasting a long time. Normal bleeding means you’re soaking through one or two pads per hour at the peak. Excessive bleeding means soaking multiple pads per hour for several consecutive hours. If you’re soaking through more than 2 pads an hour for more than 2 hours straight, or if you’re experiencing a bit of dizziness due to the blood flow, contact your healthcare provider as soon as possible. These situations are rare, but they need proper attention to prevent any serious damage to your body.
Recovery and aftercare
Once you’re through with the abortion, you need only a few days to be completely free from all forms of discomfort. It’s a fairly predictable timeline, and usually by week four to eight, your periods will return to normal, too.
However, the emotions that come after an abortion differ for everyone. Some might feel relief that it’s over. Others may feel a kind of melancholy over what was lost. Most experience a whirlwind of different emotions that settle down over time.
As for returning to your everyday life, you can actually do so only a day or two after the abortion – so long as you’re paying close attention to your health. Once your blood flow eases, you can ease back into exercise and walking properly. When it comes to sex and intimacy, you can resume it once the bleeding ends – but consider using contraceptives if you don’t want another pregnancy. This is particularly important as, according to most studies, you are likely to get pregnant more easily following an abortion.
You should also get a few follow-up assessments at your fertility clinic of choice to ensure that your abortion process is indeed finished. Some clinics may simply give you a test to conduct on your own, while others will set up a visit with your doctor for confirmation. Either way, make sure you get the confirmation because an incomplete abortion often requires further treatment.
How to get abortion pills safely in the UK?
If you want to get abortion pills in the UK, you have a few different routes ahead of you. In-clinic medical abortion still remains a widely available option if you’re interested. With that, you’ll not only get face-to-face consultations with your doctor, but you’ll also have medical staff IRL to guide you through the abortion process with ease.
If you want a more private route, you can always get the abortion pill by post, an increasingly popular option that allows you to have a remote consultation and complete an abortion safely from the comfort of your home.
But between these routes, if there is one thing that matters more than anything else, it’s getting these pills only from authorised providers. Remember: When you get an abortion through official means, you receive genuine medications, proper dosing instructions, and access to medical support if complications arise.
So just stay clear of any shady suppliers, who will likely send counterfeit medications and not provide any assistance afterwards. Yes, bypassing the legal barriers can get you the pills more quickly, but to put it simply, it is not worth the risk. Getting help from trained health workers ensures that your information stays private, you’re guided every step of the way, and also supported afterwards if needed.
Bottom Line
At the end of the day, a bit of pain and bleeding are just expected parts of an abortion. As such, just think of them as a sign that your medications are working as intended. But of course, stay on your toes, as it happens too, and watch for any red flags that tell you to seek medical care. The sooner you get help in such cases, the easier time you’ll have recovering and returning to your normal life. So stay sharp, look after your body, and don’t hesitate to find all the answers you need to take care of yourself.
