Abstract

Miscarriage is a common, yet for many, devastating adverse pregnancy outcome. We examined the general public’s knowledge of miscarriage, as well as their health information seeking behaviours around this topic, through a national telephone survey of 967 adults in the Republic of Ireland. 699 (over 7 out of 10) participants provided an estimate of miscarriage frequency, with almost three in every ten people correctly estimating that miscarriage occurs in 21-30% of pregnancies and three out of every five people under-estimating the incidence. Men were more likely than women to under-estimate, as were those without children, or those living in urban areas. One in three participants believed that the risk of miscarriage was higher following only one miscarriage. While over four out of five people knew someone who had experienced a miscarriage, just over one in three had discussed the topic of miscarriage with a family member/friend. Improving the level of knowledge of the general public could be achieved by adopting the topic into existing public health and education strategies. This will allow those experiencing miscarriage to frame their experience and expectations.