i was 18 and i had no idea that i was pregnant. i had been with my boyfriend for a year and a half, but for the previous 6 months our relationship had been rocky. in the summer after my final exams i went on a girls holiday and he went on a holiday with his friends, throughout the holiday i felt nauseous, but i put it down to the alcohol, heat and foreign food.

when i came back from my holiday my boyfriend was ignoring me, he would be out until early morning every night and would never tell me where he was going. he refused to respond to my texts, and refused to even see me. i was feeling alone and desperate, and to top it off i was still feeling nauseous.

i was sure i wasn’t pregnant but i took the test anyway just to rule out the possibility. when i found out i was my heart sank. i was going to university in a months time, i had no money to support a child, my mum would kill me and my boyfriend was nowhere to be seen. i rushed to the sexual health clinic that same day and found out i was nearly 15 weeks pregnant. i felt that having an abortion was the best choice for me, so i booked in to have a surgical procedure 2 weeks later.

a week later i found out my boyfriend was cheating on me, and he left me at 1am in the morning. he offered no support and said he wouldn’t be there for me. i was devastated, i now had only my close friend to turn to- i couldn’t tell my parents. after putting off the abortion twice, i finally mustered up the courage to rebook and have it.

i am now studying at university and am on track to receive a 1st class degree. i do not regret my abortion, as it was not the right time for me to have a child. i can now get my degree, have a career and find a man who will stand by my side before i think about settling down with children.