Post Abortive Stress: The Emotional Hurt & Pain
No debate here. …just information and may, just maybe, some help.
While mental health experts don’t recognize an actual diagnosis of post-abortion syndrome, they do agree emotional experiences following abortion can vary widely from person to person.
If you have read any story on this blog, it is all about the insight, help and the “What next”? How do we gain a better perspective and choose to help ourselves and someone else along the way?
I have read and heard “Pregnancy loss for any reason can disrupt your hormone cycle, potentially causing negative feelings.”
Some experts say, “It’s possible to feel both profoundly impacted and relieved at the same time. An entire spectrum of feelings, from relief to traumatic stress, is normal, after an abortion.”
What is going on INSIDE you?
All this information comes from resources I have and the people from PRCs (pregnancy resource centers) across the Nation of the United States. Anyone can find this info. I did because of a meeting I had earlier today, on 6 FEB 2025.
Plenty of debate surrounds the idea of a link between abortion and severe emotional symptoms. Some people suggest “abortion is a traumatic experience that can result in post-abortion syndrome,” which refers to intense distress that has a lasting impact on mental health.
Some argue that…
“it’s a legitimate medical condition”, while others suggest…
“it’s a made-up phenomenon intended to dissuade people from seeking abortions.”
To kinda clear things up, here’s a closer look at what we do and don’t know about abortion and associative mental health.
Some connect the change in sexual interest to another suggested symptom: the urge to get pregnant again quickly to “make up for” the abortion.
These symptoms are said to appear shortly after the abortion takes place and sometimes linger for months, even years.
“People often do experience intense emotions just before and immediately after having an abortion.” However, experts haven’t found any evidence to suggest these emotions linger or have a lasting impact on mental health.
One person (professional) observed that “everyone’s response to abortion is different, ranging from complicated to quite simple.”
Here are some well documented responses observed and felt after an abortion. Mind you, not very woman may feel these immediately, but what about the father? How does he feel when he is made aware of his child being aborted without his input? Either way, someone is likely to experience the following emotions.
Relief: The results of studies exploring emotions after abortion consistently suggest the most common feeling after abortion is this one.
Whether you knew right away you wanted to have an abortion or needed some time to decide, you knew continuing the pregnancy wasn’t the right choice for you in that moment. The ability to end the pregnancy with a safe choice and abortion gives you the option to continue with life as you planned. The feeling of “relief” reinforces your knowledge that you made the best decision for yourself going forward. Right? …or does it? Time will tell us answers.
Sadness: When anyone has to make a significant or difficult life decision, some sadness will be evident. Sometimes it sneaks up on you. Other times, it is immediate! Even if you mostly feel relieved, you might also experience some sadness or grief once you decide to have an abortion or shortly after the procedure.
Perhaps you want children in the future but didn’t feel financially or otherwise capable of raising a child. Maybe other circumstances led you to decide abortion was your best option. When the hindsight catches up, thoughts begin to take over and then…
How does one reconcile with the thoughts and emotions associated with them? “What have I done?”
Guilt: Some people do experience guilt after having an abortion. With sex, comes children, even when “precautions” are taken. Married or not, you must take into account that a life (seminal fluid) is waiting on the opportunity to become visible. Spermatozoa and eggs are a perfect match! That is the way GOD’s creation made it. That is the process.
What of guilt? It can stem from your personal feelings about abortion. Maybe you never imagined yourself having an abortion and struggled with the decision before concluding it was the best choice. While you are in the onslaught of your waves of emotions and scattered thoughts, you may even be getting external pressures. Guilt can take over and drive the bus. Guess what is riding along? You guessed it: sadness, pain, (relief) and regret.
It’s fairly common to experience some conflicting emotions. These feelings of guilt can come up right along with feelings of relief.
Regret: …of course, some folks do feel some regret following an abortion. It’s not uncommon for that regret to be combined with a confusing sense of relief.
Maybe you knew right away you’d have an abortion for whatever reason or combination of reasons.
You might regret becoming pregnant or the need for an abortion. Perhaps you feel regretful that you haven’t reached a place in life where you could raise a child, or that your current partner isn’t the right co-parent.
In spite of complex or mixed emotions like regret, most people who have abortions still feel confident they made the right decision years after the procedure.
I am not a female and cannot imagine the stress that comes with preparing a body for children, carrying them and the responsibility of birthing them. Everything I’ve learned over the years says, eventually, the pain, regret, remorse, hurt, anger, sadness and guilt show up. Sometimes on the same bus.
There is help! An agency that spans across the US that helps with women and men dealing with the Post Abortive stresses and grief is located across the US of A. I placed their information on our “EVENTS” page on the first of every month.
Their assistance IS FREE for the location in Oklahoma City.
A donor heard about what they do to help women and wanted to try to help them get through these emotions of pain, guilt and grief. That donor supplied EVERY DOLLAR so that you can get the help you need/want at NO COST to you!
Reach out. Redemption and help await. Please visit that Events page.