The miscarriage clinic: an audit of the first year

Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1991 Mar;98(3):306-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1991.tb13398.x.

Abstract

We preview the results of the first year in a Miscarriage Clinic set up in 1989 in an effort to improve the support and counselling of women who have a miscarriage. Of 381 patients referred, 79% attended. The only statistically significant difference between the women who attended and those who did not attend was in the proportion of women who had planned their pregnancies (65% versus 33%, P less than 0.01). Of the 300 patients who attended, 4% reported no grief reaction; 75% experienced a reaction which had resolved within one month and 21% experienced a reaction which had not resolved. No factor was identified which could predict the duration of the grief reaction. This audit demonstrates that there is a strong demand and need for this service for couples who experience a miscarriage.

MeSH terms

  • Abortion, Spontaneous / psychology*
  • Counseling / methods*
  • Female
  • Grief*
  • Hospitals, Maternity / standards
  • Humans
  • Ireland
  • Medical Audit*
  • Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / standards
  • Pregnancy