Bio: Dr. Krista Cline is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at Butler University. Research interests include women and mothers, multiple roles and well-being, body weight and health issues in women, and social psychology.
Abstract
Approximately 15% of known pregnancies end in a pregnancy loss. Pregnancy loss is a fairly common pregnancy complication. And while common, it is infrequently spoken about. There is a sort of stigma around the concept of pregnancy loss. For the women who experience pregnancy loss(es), the physical effects are typically clear. We also know that there can be emotional effects of pregnancy loss as well. Doctors are generally trained in dealing the physical aspects of pregnancy loss, but do not seem to do as well with the emotional aspects. The current study is an exploratory study that uses qualitative interviews with 60 women who have experienced at least one pregnancy loss. The women were asked to discuss what things their doctors and other healthcare professionals that they encountered did well to deal with the womens’ emotional aspects of this loss, as well as what things they did not do well, and what could be improved. Findings revealed that 50% women who responded felt like their doctor did not do anything to help the them(emotionally) during their loss. The other 50% of women mentioned multiple issues that doctors and healthcare professionals did to help during their time of loss. Information was gathered on what could have been done better as well. Overwhelmingly, women had many suggestions for doctors and other healthcare professionals that they felt would have helped them through this difficult time in their lives. Implications and future directions were also discussed.
Keywords: pregnancy loss, qualitative, interviews, emotional, miscarriage, stillbirth, healthcare professionals
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