One in three women suffer from a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) a month after a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. After nine months, one in five women is still struggling with this.
Feelings of fear
In addition, one in four women have moderate to severe anxiety a month after the miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. Eleven percent are depressed. Six percent of women still suffer from depression after nine months.
For the study, more than a thousand women in three London hospitals were followed after a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy.
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The women had to complete questionnaires about anxiety, depression and PTSD after one, three and nine months. At the same time a comparison was made with a control group of 87 women with a normal pregnancy.
Surprise
Dirk Timmerman is head of the gynecology-obstetrics clinic at the KU Leuven and one of the researchers of the study. “I have been taking care of women with pregnancy problems for over twenty years, so I knew that they can have a major emotional impact. Yet I was surprised at the high number of women with PTSD,” he told EditieNL.
According to Timmerman, it is the first major study that shows that a miscarriage can lead to PTSD. “There have been some small studies in the past that showed an increased risk of depression, but no large studies with a precise description of the women studied. Reliable questionnaires about PTSD were also missing.”
Reactions
The researchers receive many reactions on social media from women who have been silent for years about their deep trauma. “They recognize themselves in the results and now want to tell about it. As an expectant mother they were confronted with blood loss and pain and the loss of pregnancy.”
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“The heartbreaking images and desperate feelings often continue to haunt them and also come back in nightmares,” Timmerman continues. “Sleep disorders and hypersensitivity are common complaints. Sometimes they try to avoid everything that reminds them of miscarriage.”
Guilt
If you yourself experience a miscarriage, it is important, according to the researcher, not to look for the blame on yourself. “Women wonder,” Have I had too much stress? “,” Have I had a glass of alcohol? “,” Have I had sex? ” Don’t do that. That’s almost never the cause of a miscarriage. “
Causes
What could possibly be the cause? “Two in three pregnancies that end in miscarriage have gone wrong during conception. In addition, there is a deviation of the chromosomes of the fruit, making it unviable.”
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There may also be other causes, such as insufficient hormonal support, the shape of the uterus or an infection. “But very often no cause can be shown,” says Timmerman.
Breaking the taboo
He advises women to always discuss a miscarriage with a doctor, partner, family and friends. “With this study we also hope to break the taboo to tell other people and get the necessary support and relief. It is important that a woman does not ignore or hide these feelings, but that she receives maximum support. “
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