Talking about Miscarriage

BREAKING THE SILENCE AROUND MISCARRIAGE

Tommy’s is a national charity dedicated to reducing the rates of miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth in the UK.

Tommy's research centres and clinics across the country work to understand why pregnancy goes wrong so that these issues can be prevented, and its midwives support families at every stage of their journey with information and advice. Tommy’s wants to make pregnancy safer for all and ensure that excellent maternity care is available for every family, every baby, everywhere.

A miscarriage is the loss of a pregnancy during the first 24 weeks. It’s hard to say exactly how often this happens, as miscarriages aren’t recorded nationally and may not always be reported by those who experience them. However, research suggests that 1 in 4 women miscarry at some point in their lifetime, with 1 in 100 women experiencing recurrent miscarriage (3 or more in a row).

Despite being sadly common, miscarriages are not often discussed, and are still seen as taboo in many parts of society. It’s important to break down the stigma around miscarriage so that anyone affected knows how to access the practical care and emotional support they may need. Without that help, people can experience lifelong physical and mental health problems after losing a baby; for example, a study from Tommy’s National Centre for Miscarriage Research last year found that 1 in 6 mothers and 1 in 12 partners were left with long-term symptoms of post-traumatic stress. »

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF A MISCARRIAGE

The most common miscarriage symptom is vaginal bleeding. It’s common to have light bleeding or spotting without pain before 12 weeks of pregnancy, so this isn’t always a sign of miscarriage, but it’s important to get it checked out anyway. If you have any bleeding in pregnancy - with or without pain - contact your GP, midwife or hospital straight away.

Other warning signs include cramping and pain in your lower stomach, discharge of fluid or tissue from your vagina, or sudden loss of any pregnancy symptoms you were experiencing before such as nausea and breast tenderness (although these can gradually lessen after the first trimester).

Miscarriage symptoms can also vary depending on the type of loss; for example, a missed miscarriage (also known as a delayed or silent miscarriage) is when a baby dies in the womb but there is no bleeding or pain. It’s usually diagnosed at a routine ultrasound scan, and following this the pregnancy may need to be physically ended using medication or surgery.

Rarer types of miscarriage also show themselves in different ways. A chemical pregnancy (when you have a positive pregnancy test but can’t see anything on an ultrasound scan) may be mistaken for a period, and symptoms of a molar pregnancy (when the egg isn’t properly fertilised, either because it had no genetic material or two sperm got into the same egg, so it starts growing but can’t survive) like severe morning sickness and an extremely swollen stomach can be part of healthy pregnancies too. An ectopic pregnancy (when a fertilised egg somehow finds itself outside the womb lining) often causes stomach and shoulder pain on one side of the body, because the baby is growing in the wrong place and putting life-threatening pressure on the mother’s body.

MEDICAL CARE FOR MISCARRIAGES

If you think you may be having a miscarriage, your GP or midwife can do some tests to confirm what’s happening and explain treatment options if needed. In some miscarriages, the pregnancy comes away from the womb naturally – but if not, you can either wait for this to happen by itself, or you may decide to have medication or an operation to speed the process along. You may need to go through labour. Surgery could be advised if you’re bleeding heavily or showing signs of infection, but otherwise treatment is a personal choice which can take some time to think about.

Each treatment may cause some temporary side-effects such as chills, nausea, diarrhoea and skin rash. Surgery will involve local or general anaesthetic, which can lead to dizziness and headaches as well as bruising or pain from the needles. Any miscarriage can have painful side-effects like bleeding and cramps, and the change in hormones can lead to mood swings and sleep problems. Seek help if these last for a long time, or if you start experiencing fever and flu-like symptoms.

While avoiding cigarettes, alcohol and drugs in pregnancy can reduce the risk of miscarriage, we don’t always know why it happens so there’s no guaranteed way to

prevent it. Since most women go on to have a healthy pregnancy after a miscarriage, tests aren’t usually offered until someone has experienced 3 losses in a row. This lack of answers can make it harder to process the loss, and many people unnecessarily blame themselves in the absence of a medical explanation.

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT FOLLOWING A MISCARRIAGE

Miscarriages are often referred to as early (first trimester) or late (second trimester) but losing a baby at any time can be devastating. It’s a deeply personal experience that affects everyone differently; some prefer to grieve privately, while others find it helps to share thoughts and feelings, but either way support is available to help you to come to terms with what’s happened.

There are many supportive online groups where people who have been through similar experiences can connect with others who understand. Tommy’s Baby Loss Support Group on Facebook is a private safe space for people to ask questions, offer advice, share stories, or just take comfort in seeing that they’re not alone.

Try not to push yourself, feel guilty about feeling sad, or force yourself to act happy; complex emotions are a natural part of the grieving process. If you’re worried about your health or struggling to cope, talk to your doctor about how to access support locally or get a referral for specialist help. You can also refer yourself on the NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service. And of course, Tommy's is also here to help you. Although baby loss can feel incredibly lonely, you are not alone. We offer information,

“In the absence of a medical advice and support through every stage of pregnancy, from conception to after the birth of your baby, no matter what your explanation, many experiences have been. You can talk to a people blame Tommy's midwife for free, 9am-5pm Mondaythemselves.” Friday, by calling 0800 0147 800 or emailing midwife@tommys.org. All our midwives are trained in bereavement support and will be able to talk to you about what you're going through. For more information please visit- https://www.tommys.org.