Contrary to common belief, abortion may not trigger mental problems

Abortion does not increase risk of mental problems

Abortion is less a factor than having a baby in developing mental health problems among women, a Danish study shows. The researchers wanted to find out and compare the psychological impact on women who opt to deliver their babies versus undergoing an abortion.

The findings of the study were reported Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study sheds light on the health impact of abortion, which is legal in Denmark.

A total of 365,550 women  who either delivered for the first time or had an abortion were tracked from 1995 to 2007. There were 84,620 women who had an abortion and there were 280,930 who had deliveries.

The findings show that those who tend to have abortions have a higher risk of mental health problems overall but the risk does not increase after abortion. Meanwhile women who gave birth upped their risk after delivery.

The study shows that 15 per 1,000 women who had an abortion sought psychiatric help within one year. This was the same rate even before they became pregnant.

For those who gave birth, the rate of those who needed mental health counseling was 4 per 1,000 before delivery and increased to 7 per 1,000 women after giving birth.

Experts say the reasons the risk among women who gave birth rises are because of hormonal changes, sleep deprivation and other factors associated with having a baby.

Women who had abortions do not experience such changes and their risk of mental problems are unchanged. But they do have a higher risk of mental problems overall because these women are usually poor and have mental health issues even before they become pregnant.

Posted by George Daniels on Sunday January 30 2011, 3:12 AM EST. Ref: AP. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0