Abortion: `The after-effects were bad, but I'm not sure I would have coped being awake'
Two years ago Rachel Plante had an abortion under general anaesthetic at her local hospital. She was 10 weeks pregnant. Now 26, she works as a solicitor in Middlesex.
"The worst thing about being pregnant and not wanting to be is the guilt. I didn't feel bad about having an abortion but I did feel guilty about getting caught out in the first place. My GP kept asking me whether I was sure I didn't want to keep the baby. You could see he didn't really approve. He never once mentioned that I had a choice of different treatments. I just assumed that you had to stay in hospital and because I couldn't afford to go private I just accepted what I was given.
In the ward I stayed in, there were a few women who had gone in for hysterectomies and a few about to give birth. I kept thinking they were all looking at me because I was having an abortion. After a nurse checked my blood pressure they gave me a pessary which relaxed my cervix and allowed easy access to the uterus.
When I woke up afterwards I felt quite sick and dizzy. I went to the toilet and almost fainted. A friend picked me up the next day and drove me home but because I felt so nauseous I took another day off work to recover. Although the after effects were quite bad, I'm not sure how I would have coped being awake during the treatment.
It's two years since I had the abortion and I barely think about it now, let alone remember the actual day. Looking back, I would have liked to have been able to choose my own treatment method because it was my decision to have the operation in the first place. I should have been able to have at least some input in how it was done."
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies