Research

This Australian qualitative study explored how miscarriage is discussed in general practice consultations, drawing on the perspectives of women with lived experience of miscarriage and General Practitioners-in-Training. Participants were recruited from pregnancy loss support networks and from Australia’s national general practice training organisation.

The study identified three key areas for improving miscarriage care: stronger emotional support, clearer information, and better training for health professionals.

This UK-based prospective observational longitudinal study examined fertility, time to pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes among people experiencing recurrent miscarriage using data from 1,201 couples attending National Health Service miscarriage clinics.

The study found increased maternal age, higher BMI, polycystic ovary syndrome and a higher number of previous miscarriages were associated with reduced odds of a viable pregnancy. Increased maternal age, higher BMI and smoking were associated with a lower likelihood of conception, while folic acid supplementation and a history of previous conceptions were associated with increased fertility.

This UK project report examined which pregnancy loss terms are considered acceptable or unacceptable by people with recent lived experience, with the aim of improving language used in policy, public health information, websites, leaflets and other mass communication contexts. The survey was started by 664 people and completed in full by 391. 

The report found that there is no single approach to pregnancy loss language that will work for everyone, but some terms were clearly viewed as more harmful than others. Terms such as “spontaneous abortion”, “incompetent cervix”, “cervical incompetence”, “products”, “contents of the womb/uterus” and “tissue” were rated unacceptable by many respondents, while terms such as “pregnancy loss”, “baby” and using the baby’s given name were more widely accepted.

This preclinical study investigated whether boosting maternal regulatory T cells — immune cells that help support tolerance during pregnancy — could reduce fetal loss in an abortion-prone mouse model. Researchers administered IL-2 complexed with an anti–IL-2 antibody to female mice around the time of conception and assessed immune-cell changes in the uterus and draining lymph nodes, as well as pregnancy outcomes.

The study found that treatment increased the pool of maternal regulatory T cells during implantation and mid-gestation. In abortion-prone pregnancies, fetal loss was reduced from 31 per cent to 10 per cent, although treated pregnancies also showed a small reduction in late-gestation fetal weight. Similar immune effects were seen in mice with healthy pregnancies.

Researchers surveyed 46 people working in pregnancy loss in Ireland to find out why research isn't being used in practice. They found the main problems were stigma around pregnancy loss, lack of public awareness, and it not being seen as a priority. They suggest using different communication methods like workshops, media, and educational materials to better share research findings with different groups. These findings could help improve how pregnancy loss research reaches the people who need it most - healthcare providers, policymakers, and families affected by loss.