I was 43 when I became pregnant for the first time. I had been sexually active, often without contraception, since my early teens and had begun to think that getting pregnant was something that just wasn’t going to happen to me.

But lo and behold I started having symptoms after having had sex with my lover without contraception – my breasts hurt, things smelled funny, and I was incredibly tired. When I looked at that double line on the pregnancy test I thought to myself, “Hunh. Interesting. I guess I can get pregnant.” I knew immediately that I did not want to be a mother, and he had expressed a strong desire to not be a father. Deciding to abort the pregnancy was one of the easiest decisions I have ever made. I had absolutely no doubt that I wanted to have an abortion.

I am lucky. I live in a city were abortion services are easy to access. My insurance paid for it. I had a friend to come sit with me during the 4 hours I spent at the clinic. Having an early pregnancy surgical abortion was less traumatic than having my wisdom teeth taken out. I received kind, professional, competent care. The doctor and I joked about “finally” getting pregnant at 43.

I know each woman’s experience is different — but, what I want other women to know who are considering abortion is that it is not the scary, highly emotional thing that so many people make it out to be. Surgical abortion is a simple, very quick procedure. The clinic spends more time making sure that it is the safest procedure possible – testing your blood for RH factor, getting an ultrasound, giving you pain medication and antibiotics and anti-anxiety medication.

I hope learning about my experience with help other women make a decision that is right for them.