Women who terminated a pregnancy because of a fetal anomaly described psychological adaptation and posttraumatic growth as a nonlinear process in which grief, vulnerability, meaning-making and personal change coexisted during later pregnancy and childbirth. A descriptive qualitative study based on interviews with 16 women identified three broad phases: “Dwelling in the Darkness,” “Tracing the Light” and “Becoming Through the Broken.” The participants had all experienced termination of pregnancy for fetal anomalies and had subsequently experienced pregnancy and childbirth.
Researchers interviewed them face to face between May and September 2025, asking them to reflect retrospectively on how they integrated distress, coping and growth into their later reproductive experiences. The analysis used Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic approach. “Dwelling in the Darkness” captured the earliest phase described by participants and included emotional collapse, helplessness, isolation and repeated questioning of why the termination had happened to them.
These experiences were not portrayed as a stage that every woman passed through in the same way or left permanently behind. Rather, they formed part of an evolving process that continued to interact with later pregnancy and childbirth. In “Tracing the Light,” women described constructing meaning through social support and inner resilience.
The theme represented a way of approaching emotional pain rather than treating grief as something simply overcome. Personal resources and support from others appeared central to how participants interpreted their experience and adapted to life after termination. The findings show how those factors figured in the women’s accounts, but the interview study does not establish that social support directly caused posttraumatic growth.
The third phase, “Becoming Through the Broken,” included self-redefinition, cautious emotional adjustment during subsequent pregnancies and symbolic healing through the birth of a new child. Participants connected later pregnancy and childbirth with hope while continuing to carry the experience of fetal anomaly and pregnancy termination. The analysis therefore did not present healing as a clean break from the earlier reproductive loss.
Across the three themes, the study characterized adaptation as a nonlinear and evolving journey. Emotional suffering did not simply disappear as women developed new understandings of themselves or later pregnancies. Instead, grief and vulnerability remained alongside meaning-making, cautious emotional renewal and growth.
The birth of a subsequent child was associated with symbolic healing, but the research does not imply that childbirth resolved grief or ensured psychological wellbeing for every participant. The authors said the findings highlight the need for culturally sensitive and trauma-informed care throughout women’s reproductive experiences. The study itself did not test a care intervention, measure clinical outcomes or determine whether any particular approach improved mental health.
Because the research was qualitative and included only 16 women, it cannot establish the prevalence of these experiences, quantify posttraumatic growth or demonstrate a universal sequence of adaptation. It also did not include a comparison group of women without a history of termination for fetal anomalies. The accounts instead provide detailed evidence of how a small group of participants retrospectively described grief, resilience, self-redefinition, hope and personal change as parts of an overlapping journey through subsequent pregnancy and childbirth.
Subject of Research: Qualitative exploration of psychological adaptation and posttraumatic growth after fetal-anomaly pregnancy termination
Article Title: A qualitative exploration of psychological adaptation and posttraumatic growth after termination of pregnancy for fetal anomalies in subsequent pregnancy and childbirth
Article References: Dai, L., Qu, J., Gui, J., Zeng, T., Wang, Y., Liu, L., & Yang, L. (2026). A qualitative exploration of psychological adaptation and posttraumatic growth after termination of pregnancy for fetal anomalies in subsequent pregnancy and childbirth. BMC Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-026-05543-w
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.1186/s40359-026-05543-w
Keywords: psychological adaptation, posttraumatic growth, pregnancy termination, fetal anomalies, reproductive grief, subsequent pregnancy, qualitative interviews, thematic analysis, trauma-informed care, qualitative, exploration, psychological
Cite Scienmag News
Harold Sullivan. (October 26, 2026). A qualitative exploration of psychological adaptation and posttraumatic growth after termination of pregnancy for fetal anomalies in subsequent pregnancy and childbirth. Scienmag. https://scienmag.com/a-qualitative-exploration-of-psychological-adaptation-and-posttraumatic-growth-after-termination-of-pregnancy-for-fetal-anomalies-in-subsequent-pregnancy-and-childbirth/
Harold Sullivan. "A qualitative exploration of psychological adaptation and posttraumatic growth after termination of pregnancy for fetal anomalies in subsequent pregnancy and childbirth." Scienmag, 26 October 2026, https://scienmag.com/a-qualitative-exploration-of-psychological-adaptation-and-posttraumatic-growth-after-termination-of-pregnancy-for-fetal-anomalies-in-subsequent-pregnancy-and-childbirth/. Accessed 26 October 2026.
Harold Sullivan. "A qualitative exploration of psychological adaptation and posttraumatic growth after termination of pregnancy for fetal anomalies in subsequent pregnancy and childbirth." Scienmag. October 26, 2026. https://scienmag.com/a-qualitative-exploration-of-psychological-adaptation-and-posttraumatic-growth-after-termination-of-pregnancy-for-fetal-anomalies-in-subsequent-pregnancy-and-childbirth/
