When making a pregnancy decision, one of the factors to consider is how your choice will impact your current and future mental health. There are multiple options to consider, so it is in your best interest to see the potential impact each one could have on your well-being.
If you feel parenting is not in the cards for you right now, then abortion and adoption are two options you’ll want to research. Read the rest of the article about how each option could possibly affect your mental health.
Does Abortion Affect Mental Health?
Abortion is advertised as being quick and convenient, but there is a side that is underreported about how it can impact a woman’s psychological wellbeing. Abortion does have physical risks but there are also multiple studies that show that women who chose to have an abortion suffered from some of the following psychological mental health:
Not every woman feels the same negative emotions after an abortion; however, anyone considering an abortion deserves to be informed about the possibility of hard emotions.
Are There Mental Health Risks to Adoption?
There are only a handful of studies to show the mental health impact that abortion has on women and even fewer that really measure how adoption can affect a birth parent.
However, parents who do go through the adoption process are often referred to or provided with support groups and resources to help them navigate any emotions they are feeling.
It is also possible that some women may suffer emotionally after an adoption, and that can look like loss or the 5 stages of grief. If you choose to have an open adoption, you will have a relationship with the adoptive family and your adoption plan can include discussing this before your delivery.
The Adoption Plan Option
If adoption is an option on the table, the good news is that you can customize the exact plan to suit your individual needs, lifestyle, and what you are wanting in your future. A few options to familiarize yourself with include:
- Open Adoption – Open adoption is where the adoptive family and birth parents have in-person visits with each other. You can have an ongoing relationship with your child.
- Closed Adoption – In a closed adoption, no details about you, the biological parent, are ever disclosed.
- Semi-Open Adoption – Birth Parents and Adoptive Parents will share non-identifying information and communication through their adoption agency.
If you are interested in making an adoption plan that includes a relationship with the adoptive family, or where your privacy is completely protected, the option is completely yours. If this is an avenue you are interested exploring, we do offer no-cost options consultations to help you ask questions and learn more about the process.
Know Your Options
Any woman who finds herself with an unplanned pregnancy deserves to be both physically and emotionally healthy. If you’re still unsure which option is the one that will work best for you, you can schedule a consultation or a no-cost ultrasound with Pathways Clinic so we can monitor the progression of your pregnancy and answer any questions you may have.
You’re not alone and we are here to support you!