Support following miscarriage: what women want

Abstract

Objective: Miscarriage is a frequent pregnancy complication often accompanied by psychological distress. The current study seeks to query women about their desire for support following miscarriage and specific aspects of content, type and timing of support. Method: An experimenter-designed questionnaire was presented to Internet forums dealing with miscarriage or gynecological medical information. Three hundred and five women participated in the study. Results:The majority of women indicated that they would appreciate support following miscarriage. All proposed interventions appeared useful to women, particularly those dealing with the medical aspects of miscarriage. Women indicated that they felt poorly informed following miscarriage and had particular difficulty dealing with the emotional impact of their miscarriage. Conclusion: The results emphasise the need for providing more comprehensive care for women who have experienced miscarriage and provide information about how support could be best provided

The psychological and social consequences of miscarriage

“…Research in the UK in the mid-1990s repeatedly demonstrated the need for information and attitudes of medical staff negatively affecting the experience of the management of miscarriage [92][93][94]. More recently, Sejourn, Callahan and Chabrol reported on an internet-based survey of over 300 women who had previously miscarried [95]. They found that the majority of women believed they would have benefited from support following their miscarriage.…”

Primary care considerations of miscarriage management

“…Sejourne et al (2010a) found that 86% of women felt that the medical appointment they had after their miscarriage was insufficient for dealing with the issues surrounding the miscarriage and that these women indicated that they would appreciate continuing psychological, social, and emotional support after their miscarriage. The women felt that they were not given sufficient information concerning the causes of miscarriage, the process of miscarriage, what was to be expected after a miscarriage, future pregnancies, and the psychological experience of miscarriage (Sejourne et al, 2010a). Cumming et al (2007) suggest that lack of routine follow-up may increase anxiety in women who have miscarried, while Rowlands and Lee (2010a) posit that such women will benefit from follow-up care.…”

“…Many women identified that their follow-up medical appointment was insufficient to deal with the issues (Sejourne, N., Callahan, S., & Chabrol, H., 2010a) and concerns (Cumming, et al, 2007) that they had following a miscarriage. Enabling, would allow the nurse practitioner to help navigate the woman's passage through this often difficult life transition and the complexities that come with this journey (Swanson, 1991).…”

“…The literature clearly states that psychological care after miscarriage is not a standardized service across primary care settings (Geller, Psaros, & Kornfield, 2010;Maker & Ogden, 2003;Kong, Lok, Lam, Yip, & Chung, 2010) and the women who are accessing these services express that they are not given sufficient information or support from their providers (Sejourne, Callahan, and Chabrol, 2010a). Within the culture of nursing, loss is not viewed as a failure but as an opportunity to respond to the complex and varied needs of the patient, in this case the woman.…”

“…Studies using medical counselling (Nikcevic, Kuczmierczyk, & Nicolaides, 2007), early single session cognitive behavioral therapy (Nakano, Akech, Furukawa, & Sugiura-Ogasawara, 2013) and a brief, miscarriage specific therapeutic approach (Swanson, 1999a) showed short and long term benefits to women. These interventions showed the necessary care and understanding that woman require and influenced their long term well-being (Sejourne, Callahan, & Chabrol, 2010a).…”