Abstract

Women who get pregnant are at risk of experiencing one or several miscarriages during their reproductive life. This thesis includes six research projects to explore medical, psychological and behavioural dimensions of miscarriage in the Republic of Ireland. In summary, a 19% decrease in hospitalisation rates for first-trimester miscarriage was found over time (2005-2016), with a higher rate of complications. A very good level of agreement for diagnosis of hospitalisations of miscarriage was found between three different data sources, but discrepancies were found when classifying the different types of miscarriage. Advanced maternal age or high-risk pregnancies were risk factors for pregnant women with a history of miscarriage, with higher level of stress and anxiety found in the third trimester of pregnancy. It was remarkable to find among this group, no randomised controlled trials were carried to assess the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions to reduce levels of stress, anxiety or depression, and that almost 30% of university students believed that the prevalence of miscarriage was less common than 10%. Miscarriage can affect women’s psychological, emotional, physiological and social wellbeing right after the event, but also in subsequent pregnancies. More research is needed to provide robust evidence on the overall burden of miscarriage.