A client travelling from Northern Ireland to England to access abortion care
If the gestation of your pregnancy is under 9 weeks and 6 days abortion services are now being provided locally in Northern Ireland.
If the gestation of your pregnancy is over 10 weeks, or if you need a surgical abortion, you can access free abortion care in England, and we can help you arrange travel and overnight accommodation.
“Although getting an abortion was a difficult experience, the staff at the MSI clinic could not have been more reassuring.”
A client shares her experience of travelling from Northern Ireland to England, to access a surgical abortion with MSI.
“When I took a test and found out I was pregnant, it was such a shock, and I knew immediately that I wanted an abortion.”
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I had used emergency contraception but did not realise that it is ineffective after you have ovulated (To read more about how emergency contraception works, visit this page).
As I live in Northern Ireland, I went to a clinic in Belfast to have my scan. I was so nervous for the appointment, but the midwife could not have been more lovely and made me feel at ease. I found out I was 12 weeks pregnant, which meant I needed a surgical abortion. In Northern Ireland, abortion services are provided locally if the gestation of your pregnancy is under 9 weeks and 6 days. If the gestation of your pregnancy is over 10 weeks, you have no option but to travel to England for treatment.
“On the day of my appointment, I was very anxious but all the staff at the clinic were so friendly and patient.”
After finding out that information I rang MSI, and they booked me in for a surgical abortion in their Ealing (West London) Clinic for under two weeks later. I had a phone consultation before the appointment and a call with the admin team to arrange transport and accommodation. As I used to live in London, they very kindly booked me a flight a few days before my appointment so I could see family and friends beforehand.
On the day of my appointment, I was very anxious but all the staff at the clinic were so friendly and patient. I had a pre-assessment first, which was followed by my actual appointment. I was given general anaesthetic during the procedure, so I woke up after it was finished and was taken to the recovery room.
I experienced almost no pain and was given all the abortion aftercare information I needed. I stayed in the recovery room for about half an hour and had a cup of tea and some biscuits. All the staff at MSI were so kind and made me feel a lot less anxious.
I was able to fly back to Northern Ireland that night and go back to work a couple of days later. Although getting an abortion was a difficult experience, the staff at the MSI clinic made me feel reassured in my decision.
You can read more abortion stories at this link.
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“All the MSI staff were so kind and made me feel a lot less anxious.”
AN MSI CLIENT
DECEMBER 2022