Hidden toll of PTSD after losing a baby
ONE in six women who lose a baby during pregnancy go on to endure posttraumatic stress disorder, research suggests.
The largest ever study into the psychological impact of miscarriage and ectopic pregnancies found that 18 per cent were suffering from PTSD nine months after losing their baby.
Another 17 per cent were battling anxiety and 6 per cent had depression. The research team, led by experts at Imperial College London, said many women suffer in silence, never discussing their loss because of a culture of secrecy that surrounds miscarriage.
One in four pregnancies end in miscarriage – about 250,000 a year in the UK. Once a woman has had one, the chances of it happening again go up.
And there are 11,000 emergency admissions for ectopic pregnancies a year. In these cases the baby starts growing outside the womb and they always end with a lost pregnancy.
‘Post-traumatic stress can have a toxic effect on all elements of a person’s life – affecting work, home and relationships,’ said researcher Dr Jessica Farren, an obstetrician at Imperial.
‘We have made significant progress in recent years in breaking the silence around mental health issues in pregnancy and postnatally, but early pregnancy losses are still shrouded in secrecy, with very little acknowledgement of how distressing and profound an event they are.
‘Many women don’t tell colleagues, friends or family they are pregnant before the 12-week scan, leaving them feeling unable to discuss
‘Psychological impact’
their emotions if they suffer a pregnancy loss.’
The researchers talked to 537 women who had a miscarriage before 12 weeks of pregnancy and 116 who developed an ectopic pregnancy. The women in the study attended early pregnancy assessment units at three London hospitals – Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea, St Mary’s, and the Chelsea and Westminster.
All were asked to complete questionnaires about their emotions and behaviour one month after pregnancy loss, and again three and nine months later. Their responses were compared to 171 women who had healthy pregnancies.
Professor Tom Bourne, who led the research, which is published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, said: ‘Pregnancy loss affects up to one in two women, and for many it will be the most traumatic event in their life.
‘This research suggests the loss of a longed-for child can leave a lasting legacy, and result in a woman still suffering post-traumatic stress nearly a year after her loss. Treatment women receive following early pregnancy loss must change to reflect its psychological impact.
‘ Those with significant post-traumatic stress symptoms require specific treatment if they are going to recover fully. This is not widely available, and we need to consider screening women following an early pregnancy loss to identify those who most need help.’
Jane Brewin, of the Tommy’s charity, which funds research into miscarriage and premature birth, said: ‘For too long women have not received the care they need following a miscarriage and this research shows the scale of the problem.’