Miscarriage: one in ten women affected by this phenomenon too often ‘minimized’

According to a report published in the journal The Lancet initiated by the British charity Tommy’s National Center for Miscarriage Research, one in ten women has already had a miscarriage. The researchers particularly deplore this phenomenon as being ” minimized too long »And pleads for better care for the women concerned, particularly on a psychological level.

In a report published this Tuesday, April 27, 2021 in the journal The Lancet, scientists report that 23 million miscarriages occur each year in the world. A figure which represents approximately 15% of the total pregnancies and which is equivalent to ” 44 pregnancies lost every minute “. Based on several other works published over the past 20 years, researchers estimate that 10.8% of women have miscarried. As for recurrent miscarriages, 1.9% of women had two miscarriages and 0.7% had three.

FYI, certain factors are associated with an increased risk. Among them, we can cite chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus, the age of the mother and to a lesser extent of the father, a history of miscarriage, a very low or very high body mass index, alcohol, tobacco , stress, night work or even exposure to pesticides.

According to the authors of the report, “ For too long, having a miscarriage has been minimized and often not taken seriously […]. It’s no longer time to just tell women ‘try again’ “. As for Prof. Quenby, deputy director of Tommy’s National Center for Miscarriage Research (the British charity specialized in this issue and initiator of the report), she explains that “ Many women complain about the lack of empathy with which they are cared for after a miscarriage: some receive no explanation, and the only advice they are given is to try again “. Faced with this observation, the researchers recommend that women who have had a miscarriage be able to benefit from a minimum follow-up, including psychological support for the couple and advice before subsequent pregnancies.

“ Although a miscarriage most often only happens once, a significant portion of the population will need treatment and support. Despite this, the silence around miscarriages persists not only among the women who experience them, but also among caregivers, policy makers and research funding organizations. ”Concludes one of the study’s editors, Prof. Siobhan Quenby of the University of Warwick.