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I didn’t feel judged

Posted By giftxr45

"I didn’t feel judged"

About: Sexual Health / Iris Service ( Abortion Care)

(as a service user),

I would have been able to receive medical abortion as I was seen before the 12 weeks however as I’ve had a previous medical abortion resulting in tissue left behind, this caused me to have a D&C and a transfusion which was very traumatic. Therefore the team agreed a surgical abortion was the better option to ensure I wasn’t in that position again. It was a very difficult situation as it was quite painful but bearable and given the circumstances it was tough to hear some of the sounds that are made when getting this surgical abortion as you are awake but numbed to not feel it, however the pain from cramping etc. are very much still there. The doctor and nursing staff were very good at calming the situation, making me feel safe and had a lot of empathy for the situation as mentally I was finding it tough, however they were very caring and encouraging. I didn’t feel judged, I felt it was very much my choice which is also difficult as no1 knows our reasoning as it is ours, but they were there to do their jobs and they did it with a lot of compassion. 

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Responses

Response from Southern Health and Social Care Trust 2 months ago
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Southern Health and Social Care Trust

Submitted on 28/08/2025 at 17:25
Published on Care Opinion on 29/08/2025 at 09:03

Dear giftxr45,

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience of using the Early Medical Abortion (EMA) Iris Service in SHSCT.

It is good to know you 'didn't feel judged' by staff providing the service. Also that due to your own previous difficulties following a prior procedure you made an informed choice which was advocated by the staff to proceed with a surgical procedure. This hopefully prevented further traumatic memories for you when you had to be admitted to hospital for a D&C for retained pregnancy products on a different occasion.

We endeavour to listen & respond to women to make our service better.

It is very pleasing that you found the staff had empathy, compassion and were very caring.

You found the experience difficult due to the sound of the equipment being used & also quite painful. We offer women an inhaled pain relief which whilst beneficial can make some women feel sick particularly if they have not eaten breakfast before their procedure. So going forward we will encourage future women to eat breakfast to try & reduce the risk of pain & sickness.

Despite all these factors you felt 'safe'. This is good to hear for us as a team & for other women who will need this procedure in future.

Although we play music in the background we may need to increase the sound or provide headphones for women. Other distraction techniques such as our fidget toy, & relaxation technique can help. However, you are awake & aware during this surgical procedure.

We also offer contraception at the clinic appointments to provide women choice about this aspect of their health. This area is going to be developed more in the upcoming months.

We are developing our service to make it better for all women who use our clinic. We cannot do this unless we have feedback such as yours- so thank you again. Image title

Keep well. Kind regards from the Iris Service Team, SHSCT.

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