Deciding what to do
If you have had a positive test result and are definitely pregnant, you need to talk to someone straight away to find out how many weeks pregnant you are. It can be useful to talk through all the options as early as possible, talk to someone you trust, who will take your feelings into account. It can be difficult to make a decision about what to do, especially if you and other people close to you don’t feel the same about the pregnancy.
If the pregnancy was unplanned, or even planned, you may feel a little shocked. Don’t rush into anything until you feel sure (or as sure as you can be) that you’ve weighed up all the options. You may not want to share this information with too many people until you have thought it through a little bit more. The agencies in the address book can help. They offer a friendly and confidential service. They are there to help you decide what is best for you.
If you are pregnant, you have three options:
1. Continue the pregnancy and keep the baby
- You may be very happy to be pregnant. Visit your GP who will arrange the pregnancy care you need.
- If you think you want to keep the baby, but are not sure, talk to someone at a drop-in or clinic. They are there to support you, not judge you, and can help you make contact with your doctor or a counselling service.
- Looking after your health is very important during pregnancy, and you’ll be offered lots of advice and information about this. You’ll need to think ahead to when the baby is born, and plan for all the things the baby will need.
- If you are still at school and want to continue the pregnancy, there are services that can provide the information to help you make the right choice for you. You may also be able to go to the Young Mum’s Unit where you can continue your education. See the address book for more information.
2. Continue with the pregnancy and place the baby for adoption
Adoption means placing your child with another family once he or she is born. All legal ties between you and the child are broken and parental rights and responsibilities are given to the new adoptive family. You won’t have any legal rights over the child and are not entitled to claim them back at any time. An adopted child might want to look for his or her birth parents later on life, though, and this is allowed.
3. End the pregnancy (called ‘abortion’ or ‘termination’ – these mean the same thing)
If you want to end the pregnancy, make an appointment with Caledonia Youth, MYPAS, Family Planning Clinic, or your doctor. They’ll talk things through with you, tell you what to expect and arrange a hospital referral.
If you’re less than 9 weeks pregnant, it may be possible to have a medical termination. This involves two visits to hospital, a few days apart, the first to get some tablets, and the second to stay in for the day, when you’ll be given a pessary (a small tablet inserted in the vagina). After this treatment the lining of the womb and the embryo pass out of the vagina in a similar way to having a heavy period.
If you are up to 12 weeks pregnant you may be offered a surgical termination which involves a general anaesthetic (makes you unconscious). The doctor then removes the contents of the womb. This is done in hospital and usually involves being in for the day.
If you are more than 12 weeks pregnant you still have the option to end the pregnancy. The procedure to do this is done in hospital or a specialised clinic and can be similar to either a medical or surgical termination depending on how far into the pregnancy you are.
The doctor will want you to come back for follow up after the abortion to make sure everything has gone back to normal. Staff at Family Planning Clinics, Caledonia Youth and Drop-Ins make time available specifically for young women who have just had an abortion. For some women, this can be a difficult time, so you can contact them if you are feeling upset, depressed or just want to speak to someone.