Preparing For Your Abortion

You may be wondering what to expect, both physically and emotionally, after you take the abortion pills.  It is important to remember that the experience is different for everyone. Cramping, bleeding, and pain are expected during any abortion with pills. The level of pain can range from feeling like mild to strong period cramps to being much more painful than your regular period. You may have some other symptoms like nausea, vomiting, a fever, or chills.  All these symptoms are normal and should go away in a few hours or days. 

You should seek medical care if you experience complications or are concerned at any point in the process. But an abortion will pills is extremely safe and complications are rare. If you do seek medical care, remember that you do not have to tell anyone that you have had an abortion. The symptoms of a miscarraige and abortion with pills are the same, and there are no tests that can show that you had an abortion with pills. Medical professionals won’t be able to tell whether you had a miscarriage or an abortion with pills. The only exception is if you inserted your misoprostol vaginally and the pills did not fully dissolve. It is recommended that you take misoprostol orally.

Here are some tips on how to prepare for your abortion experience and to care for yourself throughout the process.

Seek out other people’s abortion experiences. Although the experience is different for everyone, one way you might prepare for what to expect is by listening to other peoples’ abortion experiences using abortion pills on The Abortion Diary or reading abortion stories on Shout Your Abortion. You can also visit r/abortion to read the experiences of people who have self-managed their abortions. By listening and reading other people’s abortion experiences you may learn more about what to expect, and get some tips and tricks for how to prepare from people who have had abortions themselves.

Find a time and place that works for you. You should choose a day and time that works best for you and your life circumstances (work, family, school, events, etc.). Many people choose to have an abortion on the weekend so that they don’t need to worry about taking time off from work or school.  When you decide on where to take the pills and have your abortion experience, choose a place that feels safe and comfortable. It is also very important to make sure to have access to a bathroom!

Find a support person. You don’t have to go through this process alone. Reach out to someone you trust, like your partner, a friend, or a family member, who you think can support you throughout the abortion process (either in person or virtually).  But if you don’t feel you are ready to talk to friends or family about your abortion or ask them to support you throughout the process, you can speak to folks at Exhale, All Options, or Faith Aloud, or ReproCare for peer to peer support. These are confidential hotlines. If you have medical questions you can get support from the M+A (Miscarriage and Abortion) hotline.

Gather some supplies to make your experience more comfortable. Here are some suggestions for what you might want or need during your abortion.

• Make sure you have your abortion pills, nausea medicine, and some pain medications (like Tylenol and ibuprofen) ready. 

• You’ll need a box of regular maxi pads. 

• Get cozy with some comfortable clothing.

• Use a heating pad to help with cramps. If you don’t have a heating pad, here’s an article about How to Make A Heating Pad at Home.

• Try some gentle yoga. 

• Eat the comfort foods and snacks that you enjoy. If you can, prepare meals and have those snacks ready ahead of time so you don’t have to worry about cooking. 

• Water! Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.

• Have some peppermint, ginger, chamomile tea, or ginger candy around in case you feel nauseous. 

• Listen to your favorite music.

• Read a favorite book.

• Watch your favorite shows or movies. You can have them queued up on a streaming service.

• Play your favorite video games.

• Play a boardgame or finish a jigsaw puzzle with a friend.

• Have a journal around in case you want to write about your thoughts, feelings, and emotions surrounding your abortion experience.

After Abortion Self-care 

You may also be wondering how you might feel after your abortion experience. Although abortion is normal and happens all the time, the experience is unique for everyone. There is no wrong or right way to feel after your abortion. The most important thing to know is that you are not alone. About 1 in 4 people with the capacity to get pregnant will have an abortion in their lifetime. There is a whole community of people with this shared experience. 

After your abortion, you may want to share your experience with others. You should only share your story if you feel comfortable doing so and with people you trust. You can also share your abortion story with platforms like The Abortion Diary and Shout Your Abortion if you don’t feel like sharing it in person. 

Sharing their abortion experience is helpful to some people while others might want to listen or read other people’s experiences. Visit The Abortion Diary and Shout Your Abortion where you can listen to or read hundreds of abortion stories.

You may also want to honor or process your abortion experience through a personalized ritual. For some inspiration, listen to abortion stories of people who have used rituals to honor their abortion experiences. 

The most important thing is that you take time to rest and take care of yourself, and do what feels right for you!

For more information on accessing abortion pills and getting questions answered, visit the Plan C Guide to Pills.