(CNN) One of the largest studies about women's emotions after an abortion finds most feel relieved and don't regret their choice, even if they struggled beforehand or worried about stigma.

The study, one of the largest to date on the topic, was published Sunday in the journal Social Science & Medicine.

Researchers found that at five years after having an abortion, only 6% expressed primarily negative emotions. The overwhelming majority of women surveyed -- 84% -- had positive emotions or no emotions whatsoever about their abortion decision, even if they hadn't felt that way when they were making the decision to have an abortion.

Just over half the women in this survey said the decision to terminate the pregnancy was very difficult and 27% characterized it as "somewhat difficult." About 46% said it wasn't a difficult decision at all. Nearly 70% said they felt they would be stigmatized if people knew they had an abortion.

The women who said they struggled with the decision or felt stigmatized by it were more likely to report feeling guilt, anger or sadness immediately after the abortion, but over time, these feelings declined dramatically, sometimes even one year after the abortion.