Psychological consequences after an abortion

The abortion it is an uncomfortable subject, usually silenced. There are many elements at a social and / or personal level that justify this: powerful emotions, ideologies, positions within the family, medical ethics, fundamental rights, etc. Be that as it may, pregnancy not only takes place in the body, but also in the woman's mind, so it is important to take into account what it means for her as well as stop being it. There are as many subjectivities as there are people.

Psychological effects and common symptoms

"Each person is a world", and lives things in their own way. The experience of the will have very different effects according to personality characteristics of the woman, coping skills, objectives or vital desires, situational elements, if it is a induced or miscarriage, if is one premature or advanced pregnancy, etc.

The intensity and duration of the effects is also highly variable in each case. exist two psychological symptoms that tend to occur in most abortions (voluntary or involuntary). On the one hand, the anxiety to varying degrees (from mild to panic attacks). And, on the other hand, feeling of culpability and belief (more or less irrational) that they could have done things differently.

Others symptom that may appear are:

• Denial or disbelief.
• Confusion.
• Oscillations in mood.
• Sadness and a feeling of emptiness.
• Anger or rage.
• Lack of energy.
• Irritability.
• Fears (of never recovering from the loss, of not being able to reproduce, of family problems ...).
• Feelings of incapacity and impaired self-esteem.
• Disconnection from own feelings.
• Social isolation.
• Lack of lividity or sexual dysfunctions.
• Fear of death (tannophobia).
• Insomnia or recurring nightmares.
• Avoidance of everything related to babies or, on the contrary, obsession.
• Relationship problems (coping models other than loss, lack of intimacy, communication problems ...).

How to overcome it?

In cases where there are psychological effects, is recovery possible? Recovering means “receiving something that was taken away”, so there will hardly be a feeling of recovery. It is more appropriate to speak of reconciliation. It may take months or years, but, although it seems impossible, it comes. Some things that help in the reconciliation process are:

• The external support, feel the syrup of the environment, especially of the couple.
• Being able to talk about the loss and gradually integrate it into one's own life experience.
• Don't avoid negative emotions or rush to "turn the page." It is a process.
• Create a set of memories, a space with meaning for the unborn.
• (if necessary, psychotherapy) or participate in mutual help groups.

CALCULATE YOUR PRICE

Psychological scope: wanted and unwanted pregnancy

In order to understand the scope of the abortion at a psychological level, it is necessary to take into account whether it was voluntary or spontaneous.

Desired pregnancy

If it has been a desired pregnancy (that is, has been actively sought or not sought, but has been eagerly accepted afterwards), it is necessary to be able to understand the abortion as a duel. It is a truncated project. On many occasions, from the social point of view the loss is not recognized since the fetus has not been formed and born. It is important to make this fact visible and to be able to address it in all its depth. Symptoms are expected to be more severe the later in pregnancy.

Unwanted pregnancy

If the pregnancy it has not been desired, there may be multiple reactions on a psychological level. There are women who decide to have an abortion, but it still seems very hard to them. In these cases, Effects of abortion may be similar to if the abortion had been spontaneous (Some research even says even more, because to the impact of abortion we must add the emotions involved in deciding to interrupt it - for example, feelings accused of guilt, self-rejection, etc.).

Termination of unwanted pregnancy without psychological consequences

Recent studies are showing that there is a significant number of women who voluntarily terminate their pregnancy and have no medium or long-term sequelae, even questioning what some have called the “postabortion syndrome”As a set of unquestionable effects after an abortion.

According to current scientific research, with more refined measuring instruments and more statistical parameters, there is no reliable evidence to ensure that there are psychological effects after an abortion insurance. It will depend on many other factors: the vital moment of the person and their priorities, the assessment of the hypothetical future father, religious beliefs, situational, economic, professional factors, and a long etcetera.

On the other hand, the psychological effects of not being able to abort, even when the woman is clear that she wants it, but that for multiple reasons it cannot be practiced. These women suffer more self-esteem problems, more anxiety and malaise in general and are more likely to suffer from mental disorders in the future.

What you should know:

• The experience of abortion will have very different effects according to personality characteristics of the woman.
• The intensity and duration of the effects can be highly variable depending on each case.
• When it happens, it helps to feel the warmth of the environment, especially of the couple: to be able to talk about the loss, not avoid negative emotions, or rush to "turn the page", receive adequate information or participate in mutual aid groups.

Without explanation

It is estimated that one third of pregnancies end in abortion and, in most cases, there is no specific medical explanation or identifiable cause. In S, in 1,000 out of every 300,000 deliveries, the baby dies or is stillborn.

Specialist in Clinical Psychology Advance Medical Consulting Psychologist