Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

The taboo nature of miscarriage must end

Zev Williams, MD, PhD
Conditions
May 24, 2015
Share
Tweet
Share
YouTube video

Thankfully, many medical conditions that once were never discussed in public, such as cancer, AIDS, and even infertility, have largely shed their stigma and sense of secrecy.

Miscarriage holds an unusual place in medicine in being both common and something that many in society thinks is rare. One in four pregnancies ends in miscarriage, and there are 1,000,000 miscarriages each year in the U.S. — yet miscarriage remains shrouded in privacy and self-blame. Thus, there are huge numbers of women and couples who feel isolated and alone.

Because miscarriage is so rarely discussed, we wanted to get a better understanding of what members of the public thought about it: their perception of its frequency, causes and emotional impact. We also wanted to know what we as doctors and health care teams could do to help those who had suffered a miscarriage or even multiple miscarriages.

In the first national study on the perception of miscarriage, published May 11, 2015, in Obstetrics and Gynecology, we surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. adults from 49 states. Most respondents mistakenly believed that miscarriage was rare, occurring in less than 6 percent of pregnancies. A substantial number actually thought that it occurred in less than 1 percent of pregnancies, an astounding disparity compared with the actual incidence of 25 percent.

The study also helped clarify why so many women feel guilty after a miscarriage — they believe that their behavior somehow played a role. The false notion that stress, getting into an argument or lifting something heavy could cause a miscarriage was prevalent. The survey also revealed that the emotional impact of miscarriage was quite dramatic, with nearly one-quarter of those who had experienced one reporting that they felt as though they had lost a child.

Understanding the taboo nature of miscarriage

Why does miscarriage remain such a taboo subject? I wonder if a lot of it has to do with the ancient nature of the miscarriage. Many conditions that we have to contend with today — Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease — are largely ailments of old age and have become significant public health issues only in the modern era, when people are living long enough to develop them. Miscarriage, in contrast, has been a problem since ancient times, and thus much of the public’s thinking about it may have been formed long ago, in an age of folklore and myth and before the era of modern medicine.

Helping heal after miscarriage

So what can we do as health care providers, family members and friends to help those who have had miscarriages? The first thing may be to become more willing to share our own experiences and to discuss miscarriage more openly. In our study, when family, friends, public figures or celebrities revealed their miscarriage experiences, it helped reduce the feelings of isolation. Acknowledging the emotional pain of the miscarriage and not dismissing it would also be helpful.

Finally, finding a cause for a miscarriage, even if there was nothing that could have been done to prevent it, was found to be highly desirable by the respondents. Combining empathy with the rigor of scientific exploration could help lessen both the stigma and the incidence of miscarriage.

Zev Williams is director, Program for Early and Recurrent Pregnancy Loss (PEARL), Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY.  He blogs at the Doctor’s Tablet.

Prev

A nurse is an essential partner to patient care

May 24, 2015 Kevin 7
…
Next

Telemedicine is medicine’s sexiest new field, but why aren't we ready for it?

May 24, 2015 Kevin 30
…

Tagged as: OB/GYN

Post navigation

< Previous Post
A nurse is an essential partner to patient care
Next Post >
Telemedicine is medicine’s sexiest new field, but why aren't we ready for it?

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

  • Qualifying conditions for medical marijuana

    Patricia Frye
  • Settlements in the opioid cases need these non-negotiable conditions

    Rosanne Aulino, RN
  • What does Kelly Loeffler’s health plan do to coverage for preexisting conditions?

    Robert Laszewski
  • How COVID is exposing poor working conditions in the U.S.

    Irene Martinez, MD
  • School vaccine exemptions must be for medical conditions only

    Shetal Shah, MD
  • Beware of food sensitivity tests on Facebook

    Roy Benaroch, MD

More in Conditions

  • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

    Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD
  • How one unforgettable ER patient taught a nurse about resilience

    Kristen Cline, BSN, RN
  • Why regular exercise is the best prescription for lifelong health

    George F. Smith, MD
  • When the weight won’t budge: the hidden physiology of grief, stress, and set point

    Sarah White, APRN
  • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

    Maire Daugharty, MD
  • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

    Callia Georgoulis
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions
    • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • Time theft: the unseen harm of abusive oversight

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • How one unforgettable ER patient taught a nurse about resilience

      Kristen Cline, BSN, RN | Conditions
    • The future of clinical care: AI’s role in easing physician workload

      Michael Wakeman | Tech

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions
    • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • Time theft: the unseen harm of abusive oversight

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • How one unforgettable ER patient taught a nurse about resilience

      Kristen Cline, BSN, RN | Conditions
    • The future of clinical care: AI’s role in easing physician workload

      Michael Wakeman | Tech

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

The taboo nature of miscarriage must end
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...