Abortion comes with risks to your mental health—and these risks are more likely if you feel at all pressured into having an abortion.
This is why, if you’re considering abortion, it’s critical to ensure that you’re making this decision without any outside influence.
Read on to learn more about how abortion affect you mentally and how to protect your health. Or, if you want to talk to someone about your pregnancy options, contact Life Options Clinic to schedule a free, confidential appointment with one of our caring team members.
Mental Health Risks of Abortion
Every woman’s emotional reaction to abortion will vary. However, some women experience adverse mental health effects days, weeks, or even years after an abortion.
A report by the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Task Force on Mental Health and Abortion (TFMHA) found that many women experienced the following emotional reactions after having an abortion:
- Sadness
- Grief
- Feelings of loss
- Clinically significant disorders, including depression and anxiety
A small number of these women also reported having “all the symptoms for abortion-specific post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)” following their abortions.
According to the study, the women who reported negative mental health implications also “had significantly rising rates of depression and negative reactions and lowering rates of positive reactions, relief, and decision satisfaction” two years following the abortion.
Importance of Making a Pregnancy Decision for Yourself
While it’s impossible to know if you will experience adverse mental health effects after an abortion, feeling at all pressured into having one can make it more likely.
According to the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, almost 75% of women who had an abortion felt at least subtly pressured into getting one. And of these women who felt pressured into abortion, many suffered adverse mental health outcomes afterward, including feelings of:
- Shame
- Guilt
- Regret
- Self-hatred
- Worthlessness
- Being unworthy of love
- Low self-esteem
- Anxiety
How to Protect Your Mental Health
It’s critical that you make your pregnancy decision for yourself—without feeling pressured into one decision over the other.
Learning all you can about abortion and making sure your questions are answered are the best ways to ensure that you’re making your pregnancy decision considering abortion affect for yourself.
The choice is yours, but at Life Options Clinic, we’re here to support you along the way. We offer free information, services, and referrals to help you make an informed decision. Contact us today to schedule your free, confidential appointment.