Though many women pursue the abortion option when facing an unplanned pregnancy, it is not uncommon to experience mental and emotional stress following this procedure. At Mosaic, we provide post-abortion peer counseling for women and couples who have either had an abortion recently, or are still troubled by an abortion that occurred in the past. Post abortion stress syndrome is a sub-category of post-traumatic stress disorder, and it is described as the stress reaction one experiences after undergoing an abortion. Post abortion stress syndrome, or PASS, is very real, whether it shows up days after your abortion or decades later.
Symptoms of PAS include, but are not limited to feelings of guilt, depression, avoiding children or expecting mothers, fearing infertility, anxiety, among several others. Mosaic equips women to confront these issues head-on, and begin the process of emotional recovery in relation to their abortion experience.
Post Abortion Stress affects each person differently, and the degree in which it is experienced is often contingent on outside or internal stressors. These factors are included, but not limited to, dealing with a crisis during your pregnancy, a feeling of urgency regarding your decision, difficulty bonding with your children, lack of support, secrecy surrounding your pregnancy, or denial regarding your loss.
According to professional counselors, women who have experienced abortion are less likely to be able to process painful thoughts and emotions, grieve the loss of their child, or feel peace about the decision they have made to terminate their pregnancy. It is important for a mother to be able to go through the grieving process, and this cannot begin if you rid your thoughts or material possessions of any evidence that the pregnancy ever existed. In addition, some mothers do not feel that they have the right to grieve the loss of their baby since abortion was the decision they chose to make. However, in order to properly care for your emotions and well-being after this procedure, it is important to remember that you can, in fact, grieve that loss.
*Mosaic does not perform or refer for abortions, but can provide accurate information on the different types of procedures, what to expect, and potential risks.