IF THE PREGNANCY CONTINUES – CONCLUSION
This may well be a happy event requiring no special support, but an unplanned pregnancy may occcur when a woman feels ill-prepared for parenthood and she may need extra emotional and social support. If she had considered abortion, she may harbour feelings of guilt, sometimes resulting in over-zealous protection of her child. The very factors making her consider abortion may still be present when the child arrives and the practical difficulties will need to be faced.
The patient with an unplanned pregnancy may present with many conflicting emotional needs, which require rapid assessment. The doctor with psychosexual training is in a particularly good position to help such women reach a satisfactory conclusion and make sense of her situation. A student once asked this author if she found the work depressing. Interesting, exhausting challenging, frustrating possibly, but helping women with unplanned pregnancy is not depressing. There are perhaps very few situations where one can be of such benefit to the patient so quickly.
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