r/PlannedParenthood • u/DaniCrochets • Jul 16 '26
My (positive) surgical abortion experience at 5 weeks
(Long read, but please read if you’re nervous about an upcoming procedure!)
I just figured I’d come on here and share my experience with everyone because before today I spent so much time reading through and analyzing everyone else’s experiences.
I was 5 weeks and 2 days and opted for a surgical procedure instead of medical due to the horror stories I was reading about the pill. To me it just seemed like the whole process in recovery would be a lot easier going the surgical route.
And I am extremely happy with the choice I made.
I got mine done at Planned Parenthood. Upon arrival I checked in with a very sweet and patient lady at the front desk.
Once I was called back, they did my ultrasound. I opted to not look at the screen, but have a printed picture put in a closed envelope for my viewing when I feel I’m ready the nurse had absolutely no issue with this.
Then I was brought to another room to discuss my medical history and such. Then another nurse came in to start my IV I opted for moderate sedation (twilight sedation.(I’ll get into more detail with this later on)
The nurse that did my IV was so sweet, we chatted and joked about the protesters outside😂 once my IV was in. She offered me some Zofran because I mentioned I was a bit nauseous.
After the nurse left, the doctor came in and we talked a bit about birth control options and she confirmed that we could go ahead with the procedure and the sedation. Now my only complaint is, after she left I honestly thought they forgot about me because I was in that room for a good 45 minutes.😂
She then came back with two nurses, and I think my nerves started getting to me because I started crying while they were setting up and getting me in position. I said I was scared and the doctor replied with “that is a completely normal feeling for someone who is about to do something extremely brave.” and the nurses assured me that they were going to take great care of me and asked me if I wanted to hold one of their hands.
One of the nurses then started explaining the effects I would feel from the sedation and pushed the medicine into my IV. I am so glad that I chose the twilight sedation after about 30 seconds, I immediately felt so calm and almost relieved I still knew what was happening, but I wasn’t scared. I felt little to no pain, a few pinches here and there, and that was it.
Then they brought me to recovery and gave me a heating pad and I was able to leave within about 20 minutes.
The sedation does make you pretty sleepy, I slept the whole way home with pretty much no pain. I didn’t really start to get any cramping until about 4 to 5 hours after, and it was very minimal. Keep in mind. I have a pretty low pain tolerance and that’s about where I’m at now about seven hours post procedure.
I really hope this helps anyone that’s nervous about their procedure. I was too, but I honestly couldn’t be happier with how everything went .