The person who had an abortion may need 1-2 days to recover. [1] X Research source “Abortion trauma” is not supported by data, and most people who get abortions feel positively about it in the long run. [2] X Research source
Find fact-based resources such as Planned Parenthood and Scarleteen.
Consider calling the Exhale hotline if you need someone to talk to.
Ask “How are you feeling about this?” Validate their feelings and show that you care. If you don’t feel able to emotionally support your partner right now, encourage them to reach out to family members or other close loved ones to talk.
There are many options to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. [3] X Research source It can be helpful to use more than one method at once (e. g. both birth control pills and condoms) in case one of them fails.
Try saying “I’m here to listen if you want to talk about any feelings about what happened. "
Ask if it is a good time first, in case your partner is too stressed for it right now. For example, you could say “I feel like we have some problems with communication. I care about you and want to fix this together. Is now a good time to talk about it?”
If you get angry, say “I’m upset and I’m going to take a break. " This will help you avoid doing something you might regret.
