The advancement of prenatal diagnostics has led to an increase in discoveries of serious fetal conditions. Expecting parents are faced with having to make decisions regarding termination within short timeframes and strict regulations. This article phenomenologically explores women's experiences of considering, applying for, and undergoing second-trimester abortion. Ten women whose pregnancies were terminated between 17th and 22nd week due to serious fetal conditions were interviewed. The experiences are elaborated through four themes: Critical choices in compressed timeframes, Changes in emotional attachment, Moments of no return, and A demanding and lonely grieving process. Although all the women felt they had made the right decision, their experiences varied. In different ways, the abortion process left traumatic marks on their lives. They had to enter new and awkward relationships with healthcare providers in unfamiliar surroundings and experienced significant bodily changes. Their expectations were transformed into feelings of alienation both toward their own body and the fetus. Disruption between the body and the outside world left them without any constructive means to resolve their situation. Their situation was worsened by healthcare providers who were unable to meet their grief. Grief became somewhat more bearable when the women could see and hold the dead fetus, provided it was presented in a dignified manner. Without any follow-up, the women were left alone to make sense of their grief. The article underscores the need to acknowledge that women may experience abortion as a loss and for sensitive care that recognizes shifting emotional attachments throughout the process.
Kjelsvik et al. (Wed,) studied this question.