Chinese women suffer increased mental health risks associated with abortion despite its prevalence

By Lucia Muchova | March 28, 2012

The most recent study published in the Bulletin of Clinical Psychopharmacology by Huang and colleagues from the Anhui Medical College in China finds that women who had an induced abortion a year or more prior to the pregnancy, were 49% more likely to experience depression and 114% more likely to suffer from anxiety in the 1st trimester of a subsequent pregnancy compared to women with no abortion history.

The study looks at 6,887 women, almost half of whom had experienced at least one abortion. Maternal education, income, place of residence and BMI scores are controlled for to identify the independent effect of abortion on psychological problems.

Women who had abortion less than one year prior to the pregnancy experienced a 97% increased risk of anxiety in the 1st and 64% greater risk of depression in the 2nd trimester.

Women who experienced spontaneous abortion one year or more before the pregnancy, however, did not face greater risk of anxiety or depression.

Dr Priscilla Coleman, a leading expert on abortion and mental health, concludes:

There are several take home messages from this study:

1) This study adds to the rapidly accumulating world literature on abortion and mental health. Even in a culture wherein abortion is widespread and is mandated by the government after women give birth once, the magnitude of psychological risks are comparable to those identified in other parts of the world (e.g., Australia, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, US).

2) The 1st trimester of a later pregnancy may be the most difficult time for women, who have experienced an induced abortion, since the majority of abortions occur early in pregnancy. This is disconcerting because all the major body structures are formed during the 1st trimester and stress hormones may potentially harm the developing fetus.

3) The psychological experience of abortion is more likely to be associated with long-term psychological distress than spontaneous abortion. Similar results were derived from studies conducted by Dr. Anne Broen in Norway. As noted by this Chinese research team, “The social, moral, and psychological context of an induced abortion may be more complicated than that of that of a spontaneous abortion, and may result in different psychological experiences.”

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