The impact of ectopic pregnancy: a 16-year follow-up study.
Ectopic pregnancy is a potentially life-threatening event that represents the loss of a pregnancy and also may have longer-term consequences for fertility. Despite this triple threat to a woman's well-being, almost no systematic research exists on the psychological impact of ectopic pregnancy. We sought to reinterview 18 women who had been interviewed 2 months following an ectopic pregnancy as part of a longitudinal study of pregnancy loss 16 years previously. Thirteen of these women responded to questions about the long-term impact of the ectopic pregnancy on their lives in the intervening years. For many of the women, the ectopic pregnancy was a traumatic experience that impaired their fertility, strained their marriages, and led to a crisis of faith. Yet, despite the trauma of the event, overall the women found ways to interpret it positively and to use it as a source of meaning in their lives.
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA. judith.lasker@lehigh.edu
Judith N
JN
Lasker
Lori J
LJ
Toedter
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010414:Pennsylvania; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011271:Pregnancy, Ectopic / Q000523:psychology*; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014930:Women / Q000523:psychology*