Pregnancy termination is one of the most polarizing topics in the world but there is one thing that we can all agree on and that is the trauma associated with it is devastating. Having said that, not every woman will experience depression after a termination and sometimes it happens whether a woman planned it or not. Here are two stories of ladies who experienced complete opposites,

“I thought I was okay with terminating my pregnancy but soon after I started feeling unusually sad, I stopped eating, stopped bathing and even stopped going out to see friends. I got consumed by feelings of guilt, eventually, my mom noticed that something was terribly wrong with me and took me to see a Dr and I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder” – Puseletso (Not real name}

“For me it was relief more than anything as I was not ready to have a child. I didn’t feel guilty at all as I knew that the embryo hadn’t really developed into a human being. it was pretty much clots of blood that were expelled from my womb. I was happy that I was going back to school to finish my studies and immediately started on family planning to ensure that I never found myself in the same position again” – Ntando (Not real name}

How does it happen?

Very often when a woman has gone through termination, she builds a wall of denial to cope but deep inside she is left with a lot of pain and the fact that the process is secretive in many instances, leaving the woman to try numb the pain using a number of things such as alcohol, sex and even drugs, including compromising her own health driven by feelings of guilt and anger after the experience.

Post Termination Depression is also caused by external forces i.e. being condemned, stigmatized and crucified by society and unless society starts accepting that, this issue will become bigger and bigger.

So, how do you know you’re suffering from Post Termination Depression?

The symptoms commonly associated with post-termination syndrome include,

• Tearfulness
• Mood changes
• Anger
• Sadness and grief
• Nightmares
• Suicidal thoughts
• Substance abuse and relationship issues amongst others.

How do you get help when you have Post Termination Depression?

When you experience negative feelings after pregnancy termination, you need to get support so that you can speed up recovery and reduce the likelihood of depression. There are many reasons why women choose termination and depending on the individual, the experience is different and how they deal with it is also different but the silver lining is that, Post Termination Depression treatment is available and all you need to do is to get a referral for support groups or counselling from your doctor.

In closing, this article is not about whether termination is right or wrong. It’s about the trauma that comes as a result of termination for some women, which is completely normal.

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If you or a friend need advice or help, you can contact me here on Ask Choma, send a Facebook message or a Twitter DM, or a WhatsApp Message (071 172 3657).