{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]],"date-time":"2026-07-08T15:20:18Z","timestamp":1783524018182,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":52,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]],"date-time":"2026-07-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783468800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000272","name":"National Institute for Health and Care Research","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000272","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000764","name":"King's College London","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000764","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychiatry"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Termination of pregnancy [ToP] for medical reasons, especially for a wanted pregnancy, is an underexplored area in public health. Women face significant emotional, psychological, and social challenges, often compounded by inconsistent policies, healthcare inequities, and societal stigma. Additionally, the decision-making process can be influenced by financial and systemic factors, with women reporting long-lasting emotional impacts and inadequate mental health support following a ToP.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three women who underwent ToP for medical reasons, for an otherwise wanted pregnancy. Data were analysed using Grounded Theory Analysis [GTA] and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis [IPA] to explore the personal experiences of women who underwent ToP, focusing on their grief, decision-making, and interactions with healthcare professionals.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Three key themes emerged from the GTA: (1) terminating a wanted pregnancy; (2) compassionate terminology; and (3) lasting impact. Together these led to the emergent theory of \u2018A Shadow Not Shaken\u2019. The IPA also rendered three key themes: (1) holding onto anger; (2) terminology undermines pain; and (3) advocating for self. The GTA focused mostly on the psycho-social experiences of their interactions with healthcare professionals and how this shaped their perception of their ToP, whilst the IPA provided an understanding of how these interactions were experienced.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study highlights the emotional impact and lasting effects of ToP for medical reasons. It emphasises the need for compassionate, empathetic care from healthcare professionals to reduce stigma and psychological distress. Healthcare providers should prioritise emotional support and clear communication. Future research should explore how these results apply to diverse contexts, aiming to improve care and reduce stigma for women undergoing ToP. Clinical practice should reflect how the relationship between women and healthcare professionals is crucial, and account for the current lack of empathetic care, adequate emotional support, and ongoing stigma relating to ToP. The study also provides further evidence for the value of using dual-methodology qualitative approaches.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2026.1840970","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]],"date-time":"2026-07-08T15:04:32Z","timestamp":1783523072000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The experiences of three women who underwent termination of pregnancy for medical reasons: a comparative methodological study using grounded theory analysis and interpretative phenomenological analysis"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Laura","family":"Sambrook","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Innovation, Technology and Science, Liverpool John Moores University","place":["Liverpool, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rebecca E.","family":"Fellows","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Methodologies, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care, King\u2019s College London","place":["London, United Kingdom"]},{"name":"Department of Women & Children\u2019s Health, School of Life Course & Population Health Sciences, King\u2019s College London","place":["London, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elana","family":"Payne","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Women & Children\u2019s Health, School of Life Course & Population Health Sciences, King\u2019s College London","place":["London, United Kingdom"]},{"name":"Department of Psychology, Institute of Population Health, University of Liverpool","place":["Liverpool, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Karen","family":"Burgess","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"PETALS: The Baby Loss Counselling Charity","place":["Cambridge, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Claire","family":"Storey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Group for Perinatal Bereavement, Trauma, & Loss, Department of Women & Children\u2019s Health, King\u2019s College London","place":["London, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Munira","family":"Oza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust","place":["London, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"name":"The PUDDLES UK Collaboration","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Flora E.","family":"Kent-Nye","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sergio A.","family":"Silverio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Women & Children\u2019s Health, School of Life Course & Population Health Sciences, King\u2019s College London","place":["London, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/aog.0000000000002212","article-title":"Safety of medical abortion provided through telemedicine compared with in person","volume":"130","author":"Grossman","year":"2017","journal-title":"Obstet Gynecol"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/grf.0000000000000626","article-title":"First trimester abortion care in low-and middle-income countries","volume":"64","author":"Henkel","year":"2021","journal-title":"Clin Obstet Gynecol"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.electstud.2020.102142","article-title":"The death of conservative Ireland? 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