Campaigners for better miscarriage care: Landmark research is a game-changer

Shona Robison, who is part of the Changing Miscarriage Care campaign

Campaigners calling for better care after miscarriage have welcomed landmark research backing the need for change.

Medical journal The Lancet has published the findings from Tommy’s National Centre for Miscarriage, highlighting the impact of the loss.

The report estimates miscarriage costs society at least £471 million a year and highlighted the significant psychological toll on women of losing a baby in early pregnancy.

Changing Miscarriage Care (CMC), a campaign for improved miscarriage services in Scotland, hopes the study will drive the urgency for change.

Shona Robison MSP, who launched the campaign in September, said: “The Lancet has given a clinical endorsement to the fact that something needs to change. And it could be a game-changer.”

Miscarriage, defined as the loss of a pregnancy before 24 weeks, is the most common complication of pregnancy.

An estimated one in five women experience the heartbreak of miscarriage yet the national rate is not currently recorded in the UK.

Scientists at Tommy’s – the first dedicated centre in the UK for miscarriage research – found that female age was one of the most prominent risk factors for miscarriage, along with the number of previous losses.

The Tommy’s team is urging national changes to miscarriage care, with emphasis on targeting high-risk groups with specialist help from preconception and throughout pregnancy.

CMC last month welcomed an election pledge when the SNP promised to review a hormone treatment to increase the chances of a successful pregnancy and introduce paid leave for parents experiencing the loss.

Robison added: “It looks like in Scotland, we are very much pushing at an open door and, hopefully, we can see changes happening quite quickly.”