Emotional Consequences of Abortion
Unintended pregnancies are well, unintended and no woman wants to find herself in a situation where she has no control over the course of events. That being said, if you ever find yourself stuck with a positive result on a pregnancy test, there is not much you can do about it. Basically, you have two ways to deal with the situation: Option 1 is to go ahead and raise the child and Option 2 is to abort the fetus in your womb. For whatever reasons, if you do choose to go with the latter, you should know that there are several psychological and emotional consequences that you might have to face.
Different women deal differently with abortion. Some women feel relieved and carry on with their daily lives pretending that the pregnancy never really happened; some take time and sooner or later, get over the situation. However, according to a study published in British Journal of Ob & Gyn. by British researcher JR Ashton on patients, only 8 weeks following their abortions showed that:
- 4% reported nervous disorders, after their abortions
- 36% experienced sleep disturbances 31% had regrets about their decision
- 11% had been prescribed psychotropic medicine by their doctor.
Listed below are the possible psychological and emotional after-effects of abortion.
Unwanted feelings: Women who have an abortion are more likely to experience feelings of anxiety, shame, guilt, anger, regret, etc. These feelings, if unresolved over an extended period of time, can lead to various major physical and psychological disorders.
Loneliness and social isolation: Abortion is a big step and can lead to some intense overthinking. Women who choose to abort their child tend to overanalyze certain situations which conclude with them feeling judged by their family, friends and other counterparts. Therefore, social isolation and loneliness are very common after abortion.
Suicide/Suicidal thoughts: According to numerous research studies, the suicide rates and attempts of suicide considerably increase after abortion. Large record-based studies from the United States, Finland, and Denmark found that approximately 60% women who have had post-abortion psychological and emotional issues have had suicidal thoughts with 28% women actually committing suicide.
Alcohol and Drug Abuse: In order to overcome the psychological and emotional after-effects of abortion, some women tend to turn to alcohol or drugs. Over twenty studies have linked abortion to alcohol and drug abuse which only makes things worse by harming the person’s physical health.
Sexual Dysfunction: After having an unintended pregnancy and going through the process of abortion, the chances of a woman being unable to perform in bed or losing interest in sex rises to a huge extent. In some cases, this aversion from sex leads to problems in personal and intimate relationships.
Need to make a well-informed decision about abortion? Consult an expert privately in less than 30 minutes only on DocsApp.
Help is just an app away!
Team DocsApp.
