POG 043 Psychiatric Sequelae of Legalized Elective First Trimester Abortion

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Abstract
The results are reported of a questionnaire survey conducted 2 weeks after elective termination of first trimester pregnancies in an unselected sample of 292 patients. A variety of emotional responses were elicited, but the predominant reaction was relief, which was reported by three-fourths of all patients. Guilt and depression occurred in about 15% of patients. Only 10% described the overall experience as negative. the findings support recent studies which demonstrate a low incidence of serious short-term psychiatric sequelae associated with legalized elective abortion. the provision of additional counseling may be beneficial for certain patients who are at risk to develop negative reactions, particularly women who delay their decision to abort, or who have a severe preabortal psychiatric disorder, or those with medical or genetic indications for pregnancy termination.

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