Healing After Abortion: Navigating the Emotional and Physical Journey
By Charlee Martin and Kamaria Muntu
A landmark US Supreme Court decision in 1973 ruled that the US constitution generally protected a woman’s right to have an abortion. Ever since then; the ongoing campaign to normalise termination of the unborn in America has been mostly successful. Fortunately, with the current debate around States in the USA banning abortions of embryos, (with 10 States having total bans), there is a new opportunity for discussion of how the abortion procedure impacts women from a health perspective.
The arguments to support abortion as a medical procedure are positioned as “a woman’s choice.” Those who seek to end or limit the procedure are met with the common arguments that women will be left with long-term mental health issues, social stigma and a never-ending cycle of poverty if they are unable to end the lives of unborn babies. Pro-abortion advocates often use race, poverty, educational levels, partner and family abuse, as well as bias against pregnant women and mothers in job and career to proport the reproductive health benefits of abortion. It is interesting that none of these reasons relate to bodily reproduction. They also further stigmatize rape victims by calling the unborn life conceived through the heinous act, “the rapist’s baby.” The implications of all of this being that certain women don’t really have a choice, as they simultaneously market abortion as not only a healthy but an empowering option.
The majority of the allopathic medical community positions abortion as a standard elective procedure, often trivialised as no more deleterious to health than having a boil removed. This perception is more influenced by mainstream liberal movements than actual medical evidence.
Abortion is global, and sadly the prevailing narrative is that unless you as a woman, feel instantly excited to be pregnant, any concerns about your life, fear of change and the unknown means you should consider ending the life of the foetus growing inside you. Commercials and tv ads would lead you to believe that every viable pregnancy begins with the greatly anticipated pregnancy test, and excited women overjoyed at the prospect of motherhood.
This exists of course, and it’s wonderful and amazing. However, there are several different hormones feeding feelings of anxiety as the baby grows, and they increase daily. Also, there’s growing evidence that an unwanted consequence of previous antidepressant use, such as Citalopram, leads to an increased desire to end pregnancies by termination, as reported by Professor David Healy, former Secretary of the British Association for Psychopharmacology and author of over 220 published peer-reviewed journal articles.
The fact that media representations are steering women into questioning whether they should terminate their pregnancies based on fleeting uncertainty and panic that in all probability is temporary, does a grave disservice to their health and wellbeing. Economic, racial and other life-challenging issues facing women are not remedied by abortion - and previous mental health status and medication use that could have lasting effects on their bodies and future decision making is not investigated nor considered with respect to this choice.
With that said, this article isn’t about politics, it’s about health. And an alternative health perspective considers previous toxicity and the triad of physical wellbeing - the mind, body and spirit.
Without question, loss of a developing baby is a deeply traumatic event for the body and mind. Whether the loss is spontaneous (miscarriage) or induced (abortion), there is always a significant emotional and physical impact on those who lose their babies. Yet, when babies are lost to abortion, the physical and emotional effects are often disregarded, swept under the rug, and many women live with abortion’s long term effects without access to support or ongoing healthcare. Regardless of the circumstances that led to or allowed for the abortion - it's essential to recognise and address the emotional and physical toll it can take on women and girls.
The Impact of Pregnancy and Loss on the Body
There are two critical stages in the development of a human. In early pregnancy, there is the formation of a zygote (multiplying cell) to implantation - this is called embryonic development. Then there is the development of the foetus that starts at the 9th week until birth - this is called foetal development.
During embryonic development, hormones such as hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), progesterone, oestrogen, and oxytocin begin increasing in the body from the first few days until the eighth week. These hormones impact mood in variety of ways, but are especially linked to:
hCG: increased emotional sensitivity and heightened emotions.
Progesterone and oestrogen: mood swings, irritability, and changes in emotional resilience.
Oxytocin: emotions of closeness and bonding.
The impact of these emotions can differ significantly between women. Growing evidence supports that a mother’s age may play a role in this emotional disharmony. Studies have shown higher rates of depression in older moms during pregnancy. Yet, coming from a lower socioeconomic background changes that frame, as mothers younger than 25 have higher rates of depression during pregnancy*. This illustrates the uniqueness and variance in responses to pregnancy, and how dangerous it is for women’s overall health to be informed by politics, rather than ethical scientific examinations of women’s mental health during reproduction.
By pandering to political and cultural agendas rather than addressing the feelings and root causes of disharmony in pregnant women, allopathic medicine is not only ripping a child out of a woman’s body, they are in effect saying that abortion is a remedy for cycling hormones, and other physiological and psychological states of mental disruption brought on by pregnancy.
As the embryo develops the same hormones are still increasing, with the addition of:
Cortisol: Cortisol levels spike at different points during pregnancy due to various factors, such as external stressors, and the internal stressors and pressure going on inside the body. Elevated cortisol levels contribute to feelings of anxiety, depression, lower self esteem and other mood disorders particular to the individual woman.
After an abortion, it can take several days to months for hormonal levels to return to normal. The duration of the pregnancy plays a role in this, but mothers will experience different rates of hormonal levels returning to baseline.
Pregnancy occurs in around 1 in 20 sexual encounters, and this varies widely from woman to woman. What’s important to note, is that the body sees pregnancy as a successful event due to it’s relative rarity. This means that the mental and emotional toll of a lost pregnancy, despite a woman deliberately seeking a termination - is highly likely to be the same as a woman who experiences a miscarriage or still birth spontaneously.
Much of our bodies activities and reflexes are not dictated by our brains, but rather our physiology, (hormones) and the intangible - the soul or spirit.
Also during foetal development, foetal cells begin to migrate into the mother. This occurs in all animals, but what’s different is that in humans the foetal cells persist for decades, entering the blood, bone marrow, skin and liver. These cells then become a part of the organ - becoming the local skin or liver cells in the body, and participating in maintaining the health of the mother for decades. This is a very direct example of the medical and alternative concept of “cell memory.” In allopathic medicine; the research and definition of cell memory is often limited to immune cells.
But in holistic and naturopathic medicine, cell memory extends to the ability of cells to remember experiences which influence the Vital Force. The Vital Force, or Qi (chi) as it’s called in Traditional Chinese Medicine, is considered the energy that creates and maintains life. And this cell memory could be the mechanism that contributes to the long-term negative emotional impact of abortion.
Whether you ascribe to the idea of the Vital Force or not, there is a powerful, cellular bond that is made during foetal development with mothers that cannot be ignored.
Abortion’s Emotional Toll
Women are often told that most of the emotional effects of abortion are due to societal stigma, shame, and society’s expectations of women to “want” their children. And though these factors play a role, studies have shown that long-term, women who experienced prolonged grieving post abortion tend to:
Regret, due to feelings of coercion or upon re-evaluation of their circumstances
Fantasise about the aborted as surviving children
Experience depression
Experience feelings of loss
Have phobic responses to infants
These are just a few of the troubling effects sited in the aftermath of abortion, and these symptoms tended to last at least 10 years with noticeable severity. That’s pretty devastating, given that 60% of women in a study reported they would have preferred to give birth rather than have had an abortion if they received more support from others or had more financial stability.
Generally, post abortion, women have the same disharmony as women who have had a miscarriage, including feelings of:
Grief and Loss: These emotions may arise from the termination and the potential dreams mothers had around what their pregnancies could have been.
Stigma and Shame: When women who experience miscarriage fail to “perform” and produce a successful pregnancy; they usually feel great stigma and shame. This occurs with women who have had an abortion, as the decision was made as a result of something being “wrong” in life, and the feeling that their lives should be “more together.” This can lead to self-blame and self-criticism. Women also experience shame around the father, often feeling that their pregnancy as a result of sex with an undesirable man, (one that doesn’t want or care for them) - or from being a victim of assault, make them less valuable.
Anxiety and Depression: Very often women experience symptoms of anxiety and depression following an abortion. And many times, those who undergo abortion already had anxiety and depression, and their symptoms worsen. Additionally, there is growing evidence that the common medications for depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s), even after short-term use, can increase feelings of apathy and thoughts of pregnancy termination. This can enhance anxiety within women post termination, as there is increased confusion around the motivations for the abortion, creating further regret and self-loathing.
Relationship Strain: Just like in miscarriage, abortion can significantly impact relationships, including those with partners, family members, or friends. Women may blame family members or partners for encouraging the abortion. Conversely, abortion used to “save” a relationship could result in further deterioration of that relationship, intense resentment and separation.
Abortion’s Physical Toll
Abortion also takes a physical toll on a woman’s body. The severity of it’s bodily impact worsens the longer the pregnancy goes on, with conflicting research on the long-term affects on health. But as a general consideration:
Physical Recovery: The recovery process after an abortion can vary depending on the type of procedure performed. But heavy bleeding, bruising, sexual dysfunction, fatigue and anaemia are all known to occur. Also, in the event of complications, which are quite common, an incomplete abortion could result, requiring multiple surgeries to end the heart beat of the foetus and remove the tissue. This could result in infection and sepsis, injury to the uterus or other organs, and disruption of ectopic pregnancy, which is a life-threatening emergency. Any of these complications could result in months, or even years, of recovery.
Prolonged hormonal disruption: Hormonal fluctuations can affect mood and emotional wellbeing long term, predisposing some women to major depression, anxiety, OCD, self-harm or suicide. These shifts stabilise over time, but more vulnerable women and those previously on medications for mood disorders, may be more greatly affected.
Intrauterine adhesions: Intrauterine adhesions, or scar tissue within the uterus and/or cervix is a complication of miscarriage and abortion, which can have an affect on later fertility.
Natural Ways to Heal From Abortion
It’s important that women and girls recognise the tremendous toll abortion takes on the body and the mind. It’s not a simple procedure, regardless of the type, but one that has serious mental and physical life altering effects. Women never forget the impact the abortion had on their bodies and minds, even if they recovered quickly and believed it was necessary.
This is because abortion is not a natural part of the reproductive process. Some women report it assisted in alleviating mental health stressors, but there is no benefit to reproduction. Therefore, it should not be classified as reproductive health.
So, know that you are not alone in experiencing the negative, long-term consequences of abortion. It is a lot more common than what is reported. And there is a way forward for healing, even if it appears bleak and like no one really cares. We care. And there are many people out there who care as well.
Seek Support: Share your feelings and thoughts with a trusted friend, family member, spiritual, group or mental health professional who can offer emotional support and guide you through the grief process. If you have a church leader or pastor, that could be of great benefit, just make sure they are aware of the political forces driving abortion, and they do not simply promote blame and judgement of women.
Join Support Groups: Consider joining likeminded, supportive groups tailored to women who have experienced abortion. Connecting and engaging with others who can relate to what you’re going through can be incredibly healing.
Practice Self-Compassion: Be kind and forgiving to yourself. You felt it was the decision you needed to make, with the understanding you had, and the medical advice you were given. At the core you thought you wouldn’t make the best mother at that time. The fact that you are hurting now indicates a strong desire to be a good mother and a good person. The elders used to say “when you know better, you do better.” None of us are perfect, and there are no perfect situations. Like everybody else, the sun still shines on you.
Grieve: If you’re still thinking about the baby as a child, don’t fight that emotion. That will cause further mental and physical distress. Grieve your lost child as any other mother who experienced a miscarriage. Name your child, honour and commemorate their brief life as you feel suitable. This can be creating an art project, planting a tree or any activity that allows you to channel the grief into something positive. Mothers of babies who have died in car accidents, still births or miscarriage are all encouraged to grieve and honour the child. Don’t let societal dictates stop you from grieving the loss of your child. Acknowledging what happened to the both of you is an important step in the healing process.
Connect to Spirit: Walk in nature - meditate, go within, pray. You are always loved and supported. If you are blessed to know God, open and receive grace. If not, introduce yourself. Believe in good. You are always loved and supported.
Nourishing Foods and Hydration: Focus on a balanced diet to regain your physical and emotional health - a diet rich in colourful fruits and vegetables, proteins and healthy fats. Drink at least two litres of water a day. Avoid sugary and processed foods, as well as alcohol, as this will make depression, anxiety and feelings of self-loathing worst.
Rest and Exercise: Get adequate rest. Rest helps you repair and recover, helps to calm you, and allows you to be gently reflective. Exercise to regain your strength. It will also increase your chances of your body being able to support another pregnancy, if desired and you’re able.
Conclusion
Don’t feel ashamed that you need to heal post abortion. It is a deeply emotional and physical disruption of the normal reproduction process within the body, and there isn’t a set trajectory toward recovery. The effect of abortion is unique, and so is the healing process. Healing from grief is a lifelong process, and every day is better than the last. It is critical that you acknowledge and validate your emotions with self-compassion. It’s easy for women to think they “should have known better” and blame themselves for not being perfect. But the heightened hormonal state, coupled with the social stigma around being pregnant under non-approved social circumstances is a tremendous burden to carry. Remember that allopathic doctors and the health establishment advise and purport abortion as accepted medicine, that will make you feel better, not worst. The abortion crisis is a modern-day health tragedy, and you are a casualty.
Natural approaches: meditation, prayer, nourishing foods - claiming and reclaiming happiness by singing, dancing, creating art and exercising, can aid in both emotional and physical recovery. Remember that healing is a process, that’s why you need to grieve, have faith, and seek positive support. We love and care about you, and we’re rooting for you to feel whole, by taking care of yourself and allowing true joy and peace of mind to come in.
References:
*Míguez MC, Vázquez MB. Risk factors for antenatal depression: A review. World J Psychiatry. 2021 Jul 19;11(7):325-336. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v11.i7.325. PMID: 34327125; PMCID: PMC8311510.
