My Experience with Abortion Pills: What It Was Really Like
A personal, honest account for anyone who’s nervous about what to expect.
Abortion Pills Price in Jeddah
The price of abortion pills in Jeddah can vary depending on the medication, pharmacy, availability, medical circumstances, and whether a healthcare professional is involved. Prices may also change over time, so there is no single fixed price that applies to everyone.
Anyone considering abortion medication should obtain reliable medical information and confirm that the medication is appropriate and legally available for their situation. For more information, see our guide to abortion in Saudi Arabia. A healthcare professional can also explain what to expect and when medical care may be necessary.
How Do Abortion Pills Work?
Medication abortion generally uses medicines that work in different ways to end an early pregnancy. Mifepristone blocks the action of progesterone, a hormone needed to maintain pregnancy. Misoprostol causes the uterus to contract and helps the uterus expel the pregnancy tissue.
The experience can involve cramping, vaginal bleeding, nausea, and other symptoms. The intensity and timing can vary from person to person, which is why appropriate medical guidance and follow-up are important.
To be honest, I’m not 100% sure it’s completely over, but I’m fairly certain it is. That’s why I wanted to share my experience—so others would know what to expect. When I first ordered my abortion pills, I read a similarly detailed post; I was very nervous and trying to figure out how everything would unfold. Hopefully, this helps ease someone else’s anxiety too. Hopefully this helps ease someone’s nerves as well.
Getting the Pills
I found out I was about 8 weeks pregnant and immediately ordered the pills online. I came across a company that offered a great “sliding-scale” payment option; they allowed me to pay a very low price—basically, whatever I could afford at the time. The pills arrived by mail in a plain black bubble mailer: one mifepristone tablet (200 mg) and about ten misoprostol tablets.
Day One: The Mifepristone
I took the one mifepristone in the morning and honestly had very little effect. I had been riddled with “morning sickness” that lasted all day for a week beforehand, making me bedridden 90% of the time. But when I took the mifepristone, I was actually feeling normal enough to be up and about and get some work done. At the end of the day I started cramping and suddenly got quite nauseous, but didn’t actually get sick.
Day Two: The Misoprostol
Twenty-four hours later, this morning around 10:30, I inserted 4 misoprostol pills into my vagina, about far enough that I could barely feel them with the tip of my finger. About an hour or so afterwards, I started to cramp. I normally don’t get many cramps at all when it comes to periods, and when I do, they aren’t necessarily very debilitating, but I’m very sensitive to them because I’m really not used to it. It started like a normal period cramp, and then I started to bleed about 30 minutes later.
I had to get up to poop, and using the muscles down there actually jump-started my cramps, and it suddenly got pretty bad. I had an ovarian cyst rupture when I was homeless, and the pain and emotions were on a very similar scale to that; this was slightly less painful but more prolonged. I tried using a heated stuffie to help the cramps, but it didn’t help. I took 800mg of ibuprofen, but I couldn’t tell if it did anything. It was tied with the ovarian cyst for the worst pain of my life, but it still wasn’t absolutely horrific. I just kept reminding myself how lucky I was to be in this position, at a time when medicine has advanced far enough that I know what’s going on, what to expect, and when I should go to the hospital if necessary.
The Worst of It
It was that kind of pain where you just kind of hug your knees in bed and desperately shift around trying to get comfortable, and it never happens. Before all of this, I made sure to eat some saltines, drink a protein shake, and drink water. It’s probably very important to eat during this; if I hadn’t, I think I’d have felt much worse. I got my stuffed animals to lie with and watched someone play my favorite game on YouTube. It really did suck, there’s no denying it.
I started to bleed more and more, and the cramps stayed steadily painful. Eventually, about 3.5 hours after taking the pills and about 2.5 hours after starting to cramp and bleed, I got up to use the bathroom, and I knew that something was going to come out. A large, gelatinous, blood-clot-like blob came out. It was probably about 4.5 inches and like 3/4 of a pound, even though I should only be about 8 weeks along. It was honestly pretty sad, but I was on autopilot, so I didn’t really say goodbye or anything. After that, a good bit of blood followed, but my cramps instantly eased up a little. Instead of a 9/10, they became a 6.5–7/10.
Coming Down
It fluctuated for a bit, with the cramps getting worse and then more tolerable, back and forth, for a while. Once they were more tolerable for like 30 minutes straight, I thought I was done, and I texted my mom saying I thought it was over. Pretty much immediately after that, though, I suddenly got nauseous and started vomiting, and it was pretty bad. I was kind of convulsing, and the ibuprofen made it taste horribly bitter. But after that, I ate some more saltines and some granola, and my tummy felt much better.
My cramps slowly got better and stayed around a 5/10 for a bit, until I got up and passed a couple more small blood clots. Once that happened, it simmered down to about a 3/10, and now it is pretty much completely fine other than a random 1 or 2 level cramp every now and then. It’s currently 5:49pm, about 7 hours after I first took the pills, and I’ve been in a quite low and manageable level of pain for about an hour. I ate a bunch of stuff, more than I could this whole week with the morning sickness, and have been laughing and feeling relaxed. My kitty came to cuddle with me and was by my side through most of this, and my partner was as well. I’m very, very thankful to both of them. I believe it is over now, and I feel so much better.
A Note to Anyone Going Through This
I hope anyone else going through this just knows that they are strong enough to handle it. I am trans-masculine, and this whole situation has been pretty dysphoric, but I knew that countless other people have gone through it throughout history, so I absolutely could too. You just have to tell yourself it’ll be over soon.
When it was at its worst, I was terrified because it felt like there was no end in sight. But now that it’s over, looking back, it really wasn’t too, too bad. It was the right decision, and now I am okay. You will be okay too. You are very tough!! And you will make it through this.