Postpartum Depression After Abortion

Postpartum Depression After Abortion

Choosing to have an abortion can be difficult for some women, while for others it is a very clear and obvious choice for their specific situation. 11 However, it is difficult to predict how a woman will react to an abortion. 11 Even though she initially felt safe in her choice, she still feels depressed after an abortion. 11 A smaller number of women will eventually suffer from clinical depression, although abortion is generally not considered a cause of depression in the medical community. 11

There are some circumstances that can cause a woman to have depression after an abortion, although there is no clear way to predict how every woman will experience and handle her abortion. 11 In this case, feelings of depression tend to decline, especially as their hormones begin to stabilize after abortion. 11 Women who have been pressured to have abortion are more likely to suffer from depression after abortion. 11

The Effects of Abortion

Abortion is not isolated from personal, family and social circumstances that affect the experience of pregnancy, the reaction to the discovery of pregnancy and the decision to have an abortion. 14 Therefore, the psychological effects of abortion can not be reasonably limited to the day the surgical or medical abortion takes place. 14 The entire abortion experience, including the weeks before and after, must be considered. 14 In addition, there is no reason to believe that there is a single model to understand, let alone predict, any psychological reactions to the abortion experience. 14

Whether your pregnancy ends with an abortion or a live birth, the risk of mental health problems is high for every seventh person. 23 A woman under pressure because of poverty, disability or an abusive partner naturally has a harder time dealing with the consequences than a woman who makes her decision without adverse external influences. 23 Of course, women who stop a planned pregnancy are most likely to suffer from mental health problems. 23

Postpartum Period

One area that has received little attention in the postpartum period for the development of a depressive disorder or an anxiety disorder is the relationship of a previous pregnancy loss to psychological experiences of women after the live birth of a subsequent pregnancy. 3 A loss of pregnancy, regardless of the type or time, can lead to significant mental stress in women. 3 It is easy to imagine that some women in the postpartum period after a live birth have conflicting feelings when they have suffered a loss in the past. 3

While this total population of postpartum women had a higher rate of depressive and anxiety disorders than the total population of women, there appears to be no association between the type of loss and the cumulative number of losses for larger or smaller depression in the postpartum period. 3 The cumulative loss remained robust in two multivariate logistic regression models, even when a history of depression was introduced, indicating a strong correlation between the cumulative loss of pregnancy and postpartum postnatal anxiety. 3 However, we postulate that a woman may be particularly susceptible to the consequences of a pregnancy loss if she has recently had another pregnancy and childbirth. 3

Pregnancy Loss and Psychiatric Disorders

Since women with a history of pregnancy loss are at an increased risk of postpartum psychiatric disorders during a subsequent pregnancy or postpartum period, they should be closely monitored for symptoms. 3 In addition, earlier and more aggressive treatment of anxiety and depression in women with a history of loss should be considered, especially if they have suffered other traumas. 3 When screening for depression and anxiety, it is essential to take into account past and present mental stress such as history of depression, anxiety disorders and substance abuse. 3

If the same variables are considered in the context of a woman suffering from anxiety in the perinatal period, the number of pregnancy losses is a robust indicator of anxiety in the postpartum year. 3 In women with depression, anxiety, or both, the number of losses remains a robust indicator of a comorbid diagnosis. 3

Postnatal depression often develops within the first four weeks after birth.However, the symptoms of depression may also develop during pregnancy and persist after birth or occur at any time in the first 12 months after the birth of the child. 5 Persistent anger can sometimes be a sign of postnatal depression. 5  As explained above, postpartum depression may also affect partners of women who have recently given birth and a father may develop similar symptoms and signs of depression during the first weeks or months after the birth of his child. 5

A number of studies conducted over the last 10 years show that girls who stop are at an increased risk of significant mental reactions and even clinical depression. 21 That is, if a teenager-born woman was depressed years later, it was usually due to financial constraints or relationship issues rather than the fact that she gave birth to a child at an early age. 21

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