In a group of 30 women who underwent induced delivery after they had been informed of a lethal fetal anomaly, 18 women reported that this was the outcome of a clear decision process and 12 reported that they had no choice. In contrast to findings in other research areas, the experience of having perceived control was not associated with lower grief scores three months after perinatal loss.
PIP: Perceived control over perinatal death through induced abortion was not associated, as hypothesized, with lower grief scores 3 months after perinatal loss in a comparison study conducted in The Netherlands. Included in the analysis were 30 women who underwent pregnancy termination at 24 weeks of gestation and above because prenatal diagnosis revealed a fetal malformation that was incompatible with extrauterine life or would result in an extreme mental or physical handicap. The control group was comprised of 30 women who underwent induced delivery resulting in perinatal death. The median gestational age in the study group was 31 weeks. 18 (60%) of subjects were categorized as having perceived control over the perinatal death on the basis of their agreement with the statement: "I wished to have the pregnancy terminated, because it was useless to wait any longer." The remaining 12 expressed a lack of perceived control, as evidenced by their feeling: "I did not have any choice." There were no significant differences among subjects when the Perinatal Grief Scale was administered 3 months after the pregnancy termination.