Abortion Trauma and Sexual Dysfunction by Angela Taylor Shields, M.A., LCPC
A woman entered my counseling office a number of years ago with complaints of a marriage in dire straits due to an almost non-existent sex life. While she loved her husband dearly, she acknowledged that sexual intimacy was extremely challenging for her. She felt valued and safe in her marriage, and she intellectually viewed sexuality as something to be enjoyed. Yet, she was feeling quite stuck in her physiological barriers to participating in sexual intimacy. She wanted to be close to her husband, and she felt quite confused as to why she was paralyzed to access her sexual desire. In response to trauma questions, this woman declared that she had never been sexually abused or assaulted. Further assessment uncovered, however, that she had an abortion in her history. While having experienced various trauma symptoms following the abortion, she had never named the abortion as trauma nor had she dealt with the resulting symptoms. Once she began processing her abortion, it became clear that this trauma was an underlying issue in her struggles with intimacy. As she began healing from her abortion trauma, she likewise began to experience healthier sexual functioning.
When a client presents with sexual dysfunction, a number of root causes may enter the clinician's mind as avenues for investigation. Many medical conditions as, well as medications to treat various conditions, may contribute to problems with sexual function. It is good practice to rule out physical causes of sexual dysfunction as a first measure. Additionally, there are a number of psychological issues which can negatively influence sexual functioning, including but not limited to: stress, anxiety, depression, body image, and relational strain.
It is also widely understood that trauma can have an enormously detrimental impact on sexual functioning. Traumas of sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and sexual violation are recognized as being potentially devastating to a healthy sense of sexuality and sexual expression. What may be often overlooked in the mental health field is that abortion-related trauma can be linked to sexual difficulties as well.
Studies suggest that the experience of an abortion within the context of a relationship, whether married or unmarried, negatively influences the success rate of maintaining the relationship following the abortion. While statistics vary, research suggests a significant percentage of between 40-75% of couples dissolving their relationships within a year following an abortion. When the dissolution of these relationships were evaluated more closely, the breakdown of intimacy was a common factor.
Irrespective of relational status, research has found correlation between the experience of an abortion and changes in sexual functioning and behavior. One study cites 23% of participants reported a reduction in libido following an abortion. Licensed Clinical Social Worker Ava Torre-Bueno writes that following an abortion "some men may have trouble being sexual at all and may become impotent." The reduction in healthy sexual drive may be related to post-traumatic symptoms such as shame, guilt, and anger. As noted in a 1996 article on the emotional, psychological, and relational impact of abortion on men, "a guiltridden, tormented [individual] does not easily love or accept love."
When an individual or couple presents in the counseling office with issues related to challenges of sexual intimacy or sexual dysfunction, it may be helpful for mental health providers to include potential abortion-related trauma as an avenue to explore in treatment. The clinician may be able to discern the links between such trauma and sexual functioning that may have been previously overlooked.
A lens for understanding this trauma connection may be summarized in a quote by Barbara Wilson, author of The Invisible Bond: "There is something about the wound of abortion and your sexual past that it goes to such a deep level and that it stays there and impacts you over and over again." Sometimes individuals and couples find comfort in knowing there is an underlying cause for their sexual difficulties, and giving clients a framework for understanding struggles of any kind provides empowerment for change and renewed hope.
References:
"Abortion: Its Effect on Men". The deVeber Institute for Bioethics and Social Research, 2013
"An Overview of Sexual Dysfunction". The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. 1995
Rue, Vincent M. and Cynthia Tellefsen. "The Effects of Abortion on Men: its Emotional, Psychological, and Relational Impact." April, 1996 Shostak, Arthur, Professor of Sociology, Drexel University; Ross Koppel, Professor of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania; and Jennifer Perkins, Kenyon College. "Abortion Clinics and Waiting Room Men: Sociological Insights". 2004
Torre-Bueno, Ava. Peace after Abortion. 1996
Boehi, Dave. "Casualties of the Sexual Revolution". 2008
Strahan, Thomas W. "Sexual Dysfunction Related to Induced Abortion". Association for Interdisciplinary Research in Values and Social Change. Vol. 11, No. 4, September/October 1997
Wilson, Barbara. The Invisible Bond. 2006
Shostakovich, Arthur, Gary McLouth, and Lynn Seng. "Men and Abortion: Lessons, Losses, and Love." New York: Praeger, 1984
Simon, Michael Y. "Male Partners and the Psychological Sequelae of Abortion: A Psychodynamic-Relational View". 1997
A woman entered my counseling office a number of years ago with complaints of a marriage in dire straits due to an almost non-existent sex life. While she loved her husband dearly, she acknowledged that sexual intimacy was extremely challenging for her. She felt valued and safe in her marriage, and she intellectually viewed sexuality as something to be enjoyed. Yet, she was feeling quite stuck in her physiological barriers to participating in sexual intimacy. She wanted to be close to her husband, and she felt quite confused as to why she was paralyzed to access her sexual desire. In response to trauma questions, this woman declared that she had never been sexually abused or assaulted. Further assessment uncovered, however, that she had an abortion in her history. While having experienced various trauma symptoms following the abortion, she had never named the abortion as trauma nor had she dealt with the resulting symptoms. Once she began processing her abortion, it became clear that this trauma was an underlying issue in her struggles with intimacy. As she began healing from her abortion trauma, she likewise began to experience healthier sexual functioning.
When a client presents with sexual dysfunction, a number of root causes may enter the clinician's mind as avenues for investigation. Many medical conditions as, well as medications to treat various conditions, may contribute to problems with sexual function. It is good practice to rule out physical causes of sexual dysfunction as a first measure. Additionally, there are a number of psychological issues which can negatively influence sexual functioning, including but not limited to: stress, anxiety, depression, body image, and relational strain.
It is also widely understood that trauma can have an enormously detrimental impact on sexual functioning. Traumas of sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and sexual violation are recognized as being potentially devastating to a healthy sense of sexuality and sexual expression. What may be often overlooked in the mental health field is that abortion-related trauma can be linked to sexual difficulties as well.
Studies suggest that the experience of an abortion within the context of a relationship, whether married or unmarried, negatively influences the success rate of maintaining the relationship following the abortion. While statistics vary, research suggests a significant percentage of between 40-75% of couples dissolving their relationships within a year following an abortion. When the dissolution of these relationships were evaluated more closely, the breakdown of intimacy was a common factor.
Irrespective of relational status, research has found correlation between the experience of an abortion and changes in sexual functioning and behavior. One study cites 23% of participants reported a reduction in libido following an abortion. Licensed Clinical Social Worker Ava Torre-Bueno writes that following an abortion "some men may have trouble being sexual at all and may become impotent." The reduction in healthy sexual drive may be related to post-traumatic symptoms such as shame, guilt, and anger. As noted in a 1996 article on the emotional, psychological, and relational impact of abortion on men, "a guiltridden, tormented [individual] does not easily love or accept love."
When an individual or couple presents in the counseling office with issues related to challenges of sexual intimacy or sexual dysfunction, it may be helpful for mental health providers to include potential abortion-related trauma as an avenue to explore in treatment. The clinician may be able to discern the links between such trauma and sexual functioning that may have been previously overlooked.
A lens for understanding this trauma connection may be summarized in a quote by Barbara Wilson, author of The Invisible Bond: "There is something about the wound of abortion and your sexual past that it goes to such a deep level and that it stays there and impacts you over and over again." Sometimes individuals and couples find comfort in knowing there is an underlying cause for their sexual difficulties, and giving clients a framework for understanding struggles of any kind provides empowerment for change and renewed hope.
References:
"Abortion: Its Effect on Men". The deVeber Institute for Bioethics and Social Research, 2013
"An Overview of Sexual Dysfunction". The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. 1995
Rue, Vincent M. and Cynthia Tellefsen. "The Effects of Abortion on Men: its Emotional, Psychological, and Relational Impact." April, 1996 Shostak, Arthur, Professor of Sociology, Drexel University; Ross Koppel, Professor of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania; and Jennifer Perkins, Kenyon College. "Abortion Clinics and Waiting Room Men: Sociological Insights". 2004
Torre-Bueno, Ava. Peace after Abortion. 1996
Boehi, Dave. "Casualties of the Sexual Revolution". 2008
Strahan, Thomas W. "Sexual Dysfunction Related to Induced Abortion". Association for Interdisciplinary Research in Values and Social Change. Vol. 11, No. 4, September/October 1997
Wilson, Barbara. The Invisible Bond. 2006
Shostakovich, Arthur, Gary McLouth, and Lynn Seng. "Men and Abortion: Lessons, Losses, and Love." New York: Praeger, 1984
Simon, Michael Y. "Male Partners and the Psychological Sequelae of Abortion: A Psychodynamic-Relational View". 1997