“You Are in the Middle of a Road, a Road With No End”: Experiences of Women Who Underwent Medical Termination of Their Pregnancies

Abstract

This article focused on the experiences of women who underwent medical termination of their pregnancies. The study adopted a qualitative phenomenological research design with a sample of 20 pregnant women. Data were collected between April and June 2022 using a personal information form and a semistructured individual interview. The qualitative data were analyzed into 4 categories: “psychosocial impacts,” “impacts on functionality,” “coping,” and “expectations.” These categories comprised 8 themes and 24 subthemes. Nurses play a crucial role in adopting family-centered approaches to offer holistic care. They should prioritize providing physical care throughout the medical termination, while also assessing the psychological impact of fetal loss. Perinatal palliative care and bereavement counseling should be integrated into care practices.