Abigail Sheldon was 19 years old when she first walked through the doors of an abortion clinic.

The former Manchester University student had fallen pregnant with her long-term boyfriend, despite being on the contraceptive pill.

Afraid to tell her parents, and worried about the reaction from her peers, Abigail, from Withington, wanted somewhere she could turn to for advice.

She scoured the internet looking for stories from women who had had an abortion, and could tell her what it would be like.

Those stories didn't exist - at least not online.

"I didn't want doctors giving me medical advice," says Abigail.

"I wanted another woman telling me exactly what will happen, how she felt about it, and how it really worked.

"If you were going for any other surgery you would be able to talk about it freely or look it up on the Internet - but in this case, there was nothing."

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

According to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, one in three British women will have an abortion by the time they are 45-years-old.

And in 2017, 192,000 women living in England and Wales had an abortion - the highest level since 2008.

In spite of this, there's work to be done to break down the stigma surrounding it, Abigail says.

"I'm proud of my abortion - and I'm trying to make it so more women and girls feel able to say that."

Despite its apparent regularity, Abigail claims she is yet to meet someone who doesn't clench up when she mentions her abortion.

"Most people's auto response when I mention my abortion is a look of sympathy and a look of dread," she says.

"If I had the flu I would talk about it, or if I got something that I didn't want in my body removed, I would talk about it - it's as simple as that.

"Why do we try and hide this huge thing that has happened to us?"

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Abigail's own experience of abortion was far from straightforward, and may have even left long-term damage to her body.

She was three months pregnant when doctors told her the news - meaning she was a week under the limit of a 'medical abortion.'

According to the NHS, a medical abortion involves taking medication, commonly known as the 'abortion pill' to end the pregnancy.

The other alternative is a surgical abortion, involving a 'minor' procedure to remove the pregnancy.

Unfortunately, Abigail's medical abortion was unsuccessful - which meant that two months later she had to undergo a surgical procedure.

Doctors told her she had been carrying an infection for three months, which could now cause problems if she wishes to have children in the future.

Abigail says that despite the trauma and potential long-term consequences of that termination, she would do it again if she needed to.

(Image: ITV)

And the 23-year-old has set up a website where women can share their own experiences and give advice to others.

"I want to make abortions so much more common to talk about so if something does go wrong women aren't afraid or ashamed to talk about it," she says.

"I want them to know there is a network of supportive people around them. Once you decide that you want an abortion, you have to wait up to two weeks before actually having the procedure.

"There is a little bit of counselling provided on the NHS but most of that comes afterwards.

"A lot of medical professionals won't have ever had an abortion or know what it's like.

"You can give all the advice about how it's going to feel but you can't really say until you've had one yourself.

"That's why I created the website. I wanted to share more about what it is actually like to have an abortion."

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

The site includes a range of first-person accounts from women, with topics including 'the process of a medical abortion at 12 weeks,' to 'telling my mum I'm pregnant and having an abortion.'

Abigail says she gives writers the option to remain anonymous so that women can be frank and open about their experiences.

So far, she says, the reaction has been positive.

"I have had people say that being able to write though my website has helped them to tell their friends and family about their abortion," she says.

"Some people find it really difficult to say it out loud but I hope people feel they can share my story on their website.

"I don't feel that many people are ready to share it yet but I want to grow the website to the point where it is full of advice and stories from other women.

"If someone is looking at the website and making a decision, I want them to have the full facts and proper advice."

The topic of abortion is not without its controversy, and campaigners continue to exercise their right of free speech at clinics across Manchester.

(Image: Huddersfield Examiner)

From March 6 to April 14, an organisation called 40 Days for Life will stand outside Marie Stopes clinic in Fallowfield.

Their website describes a mission to 'show local communities the consequences of abortion,' in what they describe as a 'determined and peaceful' approach.

Abigail is a member of Sister Supporter - a group of women who maintain a counter presence against campaigners outside clinics across Manchester.

A shift with the group involves accompanying women to and from the clinic and acting as a supportive presence in the face of anti-abortion campaigners.

Abigail says she understands that not all women want to share their abortions and recognises that in some places, it's still not legal to do so.

Last May, Ireland's 35-year ban on abortion was overturned when 1,429,981 people voted in favour of abolishing the 'eighth amendment'.

Since 2013, terminations had only been allowed in exceptional cases when the life of a mother is at risk, including from suicide.

(Image: Getty Images)

In 2016, the Irish Department of Health said there had been 25 legal abortions carried out in the country.

In the same year, 3,265 women travelled from Ireland to the UK for termination.

"I can understand why women don't want to share their abortions," Abigail says. "I'm sure for a lot of people it is tough and emotional . It's a difficult choice to do so.

"I don't want to make women feel bad for not shouting about their abortions - which is why I want to shout louder about mine and make people feel comfortable about them.

"I talk about it, I joke about it, I still sometimes get upset about it, but I had an abortion, and I'd do it again."

Abigail says she would recommend anyone who has had an experience with abortion to write down or share the process of what happened.

Her website encourages women to share their emotions, the physical affects and people's reactions.

(Image: Abigail Sheldon)

"It's a relief to get it all out," she says.

"Put it online for other people to read, send it to me, send it to your boyfriend, your mum, your neighbour. Do anything that makes you feel good about yourself.

"Abortion is nobody's first choice, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't talk about it."

For more information about Abigail's mission you can visit her website.

For more information and advice on abortion the following helplines are available:

British Pregnancy Advisory Service - Tel: 03457 30 40 30 - bpas.org

Marie Stopes - tel: 0345 300 8090 - mariestopes.org.uk

Brook - Helpline: 0808 802 1234 - brook.org.uk

Family Planning Association - Helpline 0345 122 8687 - fpa.org.uk

Abortion Rights UK - abortionrights.org.uk

Netmums - netmums.com

NHS Choices - Abortion - https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/abortion/