Post-abortion Syndrome
Post-abortion syndrome is a condition that affects millions of women in the world, both physically and psychologically. More than at any other time, those who suffer from it need the maximum family support and, if necessary, professional treatment to avoid further damage.
Regardless of whether it is an abortion or miscarriage, a response will always be generated from the woman’s body and mind. This set of involuntary reactions is precisely what is known as post-abortion syndrome.
This syndrome takes its name from the well-known post-Vietnam syndrome. The reason: it was in the years of the Vietnam War that abortion was legalized in the United States. Since that time, millions of women around the world have voluntarily passed through this moment.
The woman after an abortion
Regardless of the reason, after an abortion occurs, whether voluntary or not, the woman experiences a series of psychological, physiological and emotional symptoms ; as much as you want to, you cannot control them.
Many times, post-abortion syndrome affects not only the woman who has undergone the abortion, but also the people around her. The father, grandparents and other relatives are also affected; They, like their mother, dreamed of seeing that baby be born and grow up.
Not all women react in the same way or in the same amount of time after having an abortion.
However, the main symptoms of post-abortion syndrome have been observed in women of different ages, places and despite the fact that the circumstances of an abortion are never identical.
Symptoms that occur in post-abortion syndrome
In this tough time, women may manifest some of these common symptoms:
Pain, grief, and guilt
In general, all kinds of loss cause these feelings. Usually, there is a state of mourning. Experts say that, for a woman, it is much more difficult to overcome this pain when the abortion has been provoked.
In a certain way, the person feels that he is guilty and, if he does not find reasons that can justify his difficult decision, that the feeling of guilt may be even greater.
On the other hand, women who go through a miscarriage experience a different stage of grief. Although it is deeply painful, like any grief that we face in life, there is no such regret of considering ourselves responsible for everything.
This does not make it an easy situation, of course. In these situations, a feeling of very great anguish tends to predominate, added to the uncertainty generated by the probability that it will occur again in a future pregnancy.
Aggressiveness
This behavior is usually present in a common way in women who have undergone a voluntary abortion. At the moment in which the woman begins to become aware of what has happened, she usually feels anger at the circumstances that have led to the abortion, either directly or indirectly.
At these times, the woman can be irritable, and even aggressive towards herself and others. It is a dangerous feeling, which can lead to ill-considered actions and impossible to reverse. It is essential, then, the accompaniment and containment of the nearby environment.
Feeling of failure
Patients may feel that they have failed as mothers or as women. As a consequence of this, they could withdraw from others.
If they are mothers, there is the possibility that they will seek to get away from their children ; After the traumatic event they experienced, they may not feel capable of caring for or relating to them.
On the other hand, if, on the other hand, they do not have other children, this type of experience can cause fear of having other children in the future ; again, there is the fear of failing as moms.
Physical problems
The combination of psychological and emotional consequences that we discussed earlier can also lead to physical problems in the body.
After an abortion, women are at higher risk for anorexia, sudden and sudden weight loss, bulimia, palpitations, headaches, nausea, among many other disorders.
Also, many women have fertility problems, which make it impossible for them to have a new pregnancy. This, like the previous factors, increases the feeling of frustration.
In conclusion, the ideal is that a woman who has undergone an abortion seek professional help to overcome the loss. Of course, it is totally understandable that this takes time and that it is necessary to work a lot on that mixture of feelings that can cause so much pain and discomfort in a person.
