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There's help.

Some men and women experience stress after their abortion experience. Friends or family may tell you:
“Just get over it.”
“It wasn’t that big of a deal.”
“Don’t worry, time will heal.”
or even,
“It was your choice, so why are you upset about it now?”
Some women tell us they keep their emotions inside and never talk about them at all.

Abortion is undoubtedly a pregnancy loss. Losses often require a grieving process, but post-abortive men and women often do not feel they have permission to grieve. Buried grief may result in depression, anxiety, and re-experiencing the trauma.

Check the Indicators

Although many women experience a feeling of relief immediately after an abortion experience, that feeling is sometimes replaced with more destructive emotions. Check the symptoms you have experienced since your abortion experience:

• Denial, rationalization, and/or numbness
• Dwelling on what the child may have looked like, his/her age, and gender
• Difficulty dealing with emotions surrounding the birth of children born after the abortion event-- having a difficult time bonding with those children or being overprotective of them
• Avoiding or having heightened emotions at reminders of pregnant women or babies-- baby showers, maternity or baby departments, pictures of fetal development, etc.
• Self-destructive behavior: increased promiscuity, “partying” more, workaholic behavior, or eating disorders
• Anniversary reactions-- increased negative emotions around the time the baby would have been born
• Disrupted relationships with the father of the baby, family, or friends associated with the abortion decision
• Guilt, shame, anxiety, and depression
• Flashbacks and/or nightmares
• Suicidal thoughts or actions

Related links:

• www.afterabortion.org
• www.saveone.org (1-866-329-3571)