Miscarriage

Miscarriage is generally defined as the loss of a pregnancy before viability, i.e. before 24 weeks of gestation. It is often referred to as ‘common’, occurring in approximately 15% of pregnancies. The risk of miscarriage depends on a number of factors, including maternal age and number of previous miscarriages. Miscarriages during the first and second trimester of pregnancies have quite different causes, with causes of second-trimester miscarriage more aligned to those of stillbirth.

Recurrent miscarriage affects 1%–3% of women/couples of reproductive age, depending on the definition used, i.e. whether ≥2 or ≥3 miscarriages. While there are several causes of recurrent miscarriage, no cause is identified in half of cases following investigations and are unexplained.

The consequences of miscarriage are both physical, such as bleeding or infection, and psychological, such as increased risk of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicide. Miscarriage, and especially recurrent miscarriage, is also an important marker marker for future obstetric complications, including preterm birth, fetal growth restriction, placental abruption, and stillbirth in future pregnancies. It is increasingly recognised as a predictor of longer-term health problems also, including cardiovascular disease and venous thromboembolism.

The costs of miscarriage affect individuals, health-care systems, and society. Despite this, public awareness of miscarriage is limited, and care can be fragmented and of poor quality.

Our research in this area

• Care experiences
• Clinical guidelines for recurrent miscarriage
• Economic impact
• Future pregnancy outcomes
• How recurrent miscarriage is defined
• Lived experiences of miscarriage
• Men and miscarriage
• Miscarriage after infertility
• Psychological and support interventions
• Public awareness and knowledge
• Recurrent miscarriage
• Risk factors
• Service provision

Related policy briefs

• Clinical practice guidelines for recurrent miscarriage in high-income countries: a systematic review
• Exploratory analysis of the costs associated with receiving recurrent miscarriage care in Ireland [lunder embargo]
• How we define recurrent miscarriage matters
• Men and recurrent miscarriage: Urgent inclusion needed
• Recurrent miscarriage in Ireland: A national service evaluation

Our people

• Professor Keelin O’Donoghue
• Marita Hennessy PhD
• Dr Laura Linehan 
• Dr Daniel Nuzum
• Dr Indra San Lázaro Campillo