title: How women anticipate coping after an abortion.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There has been some study of women's emotional and psychological well-being after an abortion but no research into women's expectations, at the time of seeking an abortion, of how they will cope after the abortion.
  
  
  METHODS
  We abstracted counseling needs assessment forms of 5109 women who sought an abortion at a clinic in 2008.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most common emotions that women anticipate feeling after their abortion are relieved (63%) and confident (52%). A significant minority anticipate feeling a little sad (24%) and a little guilty (21%); 3.4% anticipate poor coping. Women with fetal abnormalities, women who do not have high confidence in their decision, women who have spiritual concerns about abortion, women with a history of depression, women who feel that they were pushed into having an abortion and teenagers are more likely to anticipate poor coping postabortion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The vast majority of women expect to cope well after their abortion. A small number make the decision to terminate their pregnancies even though they anticipate difficulty coping after the procedure.
authors.affiliation: ANSIRH, Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health, University of California, San Francisco, Oakland, CA 94612, USA. fosterd@obgyn.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Diana Greene
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gould
authors.forename: Katrina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kimport
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000523:psychology*; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D059031:Anticipation, Psychological; D002648:Child; D003657:Decision Making; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult