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Aftereffects of abortion
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- Low self-esteem
- Grief
- Depression
- Guilt
- Shame
- Sleep disorders
- Physical numbness
- Hyperalertness
- Eating disorders
- Self-mutilation
- Sexual disfunction or promiscuity
A sense of alienation from self, friends and others
Isolation, self-imposed actions to avoid sharing the abortion experience with others
Anger, though this is often buried deeply. Depression and anger are flip sides of the same experience
Difficulty concentrating
Nightmares/"baby dreams"--these may take the form of some menacing creature attacking children, or of, as a woman described them, "dead dolls, dismembered babies, or babies in distress that can't be reached."
Auditory hallucinations of a baby crying
Flashbacks of the abortion experience that are triggered by such things as vacuum cleaners, which are reminders of the suction equipment; music on Muzak that was playing during the procedure; elevators which lead up to the clinic; or cookies served after the procedure.
Suicidal thoughts--in a study done in Ohio by Suicide Anonymous Hotline over a 36-month period, of the 4000 women who called, 1800 had previously had abortions.
Drug and alcohol abuse
Relationship problems--70% of romantic relationships end after an abortion. Some women also distance themselves from their nuclear family and from their closest friends.
Intimacy problems--women often shy away from intimate relationships with males for fear of having to reveal things about herself, including her abortion.
Physical pain--women may describe pain such as abdominal pian, menstrual pain, or back pain. This could be organic pain caused be complications from the abortion or it could be psychosomatic pain.
Difficulties in subsequent labor and delivery, such as labors that start and stop or that fail to progress resulting in
Cesareans.
Acute reaction may involve fascination with or obsession with pregnancy that may result in bizarre short term acting-out behavior.
Avoidance behavior centered on children, pregnancy, and abortion.
Atonement pregnancy--feeling compelled to become pregnant again, often within one year following the abortion.
Phantom pregnancy--going to physicians' offices, crisis pregnancy centers, and emergency rooms believing she is pregnant.
Atonement marriage--marriage between partners in an abortion in an attempt to save the relationship after the abortion
Abusive relationships--in some cases, the woman is the abusive party; in other cases, she is the abused party
Anniversary reactions
Over-compensation in a career--especially true for a woman who choses the abortion in order to finish college or complete her career goals
Child abuse--women may have inappropriate coping mechanisms for dealing with frustration until the grief issue is resolved. The abuse may be emotional in terms of distancing, or actual physical striking out against a subsequent child.
Women sometimes share that their "perfect child" was the one they aborted, and now they are left with this one.
Increased bitterness toward men--this manifests itself in terms of being able to really trust men in the future. |
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