I'm 7 months into my PhD and recently found out that I'm 6 weeks pregnant due to contraception failing. Though I considered my options carefully, my partner and I decided it is not the right time and chose to end the pregnancy and today had an abortion.

For the past 7 days I've had 'morning sickness' all day everyday and been unable to work or eat properly, drive or even stay awake for more than 7 or 8 hours at a time. I've been told my symptoms will subside within a couple of days.

Today I missed an exam which was part of a MRes module I was taking. I also have deadlines this Friday and next Wednesday and am struggling to meet them. I want to inform the university but I'm worried about being stigmatised. Furthermore, I'm terrified of letting my supervisor know, as I'm aware he had a Roman Catholic upbringing and may not agree with my decision to end the pregnancy. I don't want this to interfere with our relationship as we have at least another 2 and a half years of working together and our relationship is going quite well at the moment.

The module I am taking is independant of my school and I'm hoping I can apply to the research institute (who manage this module) for extenuating circumstances without having to inform my supervisor.

If I can resit the exam and get a 7 day extension on the assignment due this Friday that would be ideal and I don't see why my supervisors ever need to know.

I'd be incredibly grateful to hear from anyone with any previous experiences or advice.

Regards

GM.

NB. I understand that not everyone will agree with my decision though I do not wish for any anti-abortion advocates to comment with any kind of abuse or sympathy. Thank you.

Thanks very much for your comments and advice, it really helped me to look at the situation from different angles.

I actually had a meeting with my supervisor later that day and as I'd missed a training workshop and a postponed a supervision meeting due to health problems, my supervisor actually asked if everything was ok with my health. I took the opportunity to tell him there and then that I've had mental health difficulties since childhood and that I am just coming out of a bad period. He was very supportive and I think I've done what I felt was best. He told me that he was confident in my abilities and wouldn't have appointed me if he felt otherwise.

What I failed to mention in my original post is that my supervisor was also my head of department at undergraduate level and so is aware of my capabilities. I was awarded several academic awards from my first year onwards and he was the person who presented me with these. I think I would have been more cautious in telling him if I hadn't had any previous contact with him.

Thanks again for your helpful comments.
:-)

Thanks very much for your comments and advice, it really helped me to look at the situation from different angles.

I actually had a meeting with my supervisor later that day and as I'd missed a training workshop and a postponed a supervision meeting due to health problems, my supervisor actually asked if everything was ok with my health. I took the opportunity to tell him there and then that I've had mental health difficulties since childhood and that I am just coming out of a bad period. He was very supportive and I think I've done what I felt was best. He told me that he was confident in my abilities and wouldn't have appointed me if he felt otherwise.

What I failed to mention in my original post is that my supervisor was also my head of department at undergraduate level and so is aware of my capabilities. I was awarded several academic awards from my first year onwards and he was the person who presented me with these. I think I would have been more cautious in telling him if I hadn't had any previous contact with him.

Thanks again for your helpful comments.
:-)

Hi I'm new here. I'm in the first year of my PhD (just started in September) and though I'm highly motivated I feel like I haven't progressed very quickly in my first couple of months, progress has been slow and my focus has been lacking.

I've suffered from mental health issues since childhood and a recent relationship breakdown has triggered a particularly difficult period for me where I've suffered regular panic attacks. My dilemma is whether or not to disclose this to my supervisor or anyone else at the university. I don't want to be stigmatised or be TOO open about my personal issues but I also don't want my supervisor believing that my current work pace is my usual pace. I'm also aware that by informing somebody at the university then I'm protecting myself if problems do occur in the future.

You can probably tell that I'm leaning towards telling my supervisor but I'm anxious over how to bring it up. In an email? supervision meeting? seperate meeting?

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated. :-)