Second trimester miscarriage
Enhancing young people’s pregnancy loss and fertility awareness and knowledge via schools: a way forward
There is a need to work with young people to develop independent, evidence-informed, developmentally appropriate interventions to enhance knowledge and awareness of pregnancy loss to enable people to fully realise their reproductive rights and goals.
- Authors
Zara Harnett, Keelin O’Donoghue, Laura Linehan, Tamara Escañuela Sánchez, Rióna Cotter, Susan Dineen, Brendan Fitzgerald, Órla Power, Marita Hennessy
- Year
- 2025
- Journal Name
- Health Promotion International
- Category
- Journal Article
- Keywords
- Awareness / Knowledge, Ectopic pregnancy, Infertility / IVF / Medically Assisted Reproduction, Miscarriage, Pregnancy loss, Recurrent miscarriage, Stillbirth, Termination of pregnancy
- Project
- Full Citation
Harnett Z, O’Donoghue K, Linehan L, Escañuela Sánchez T, Cotter R, Dineen S, Fitzgerald B, Power Ó, Whelan S, Peters H, Hennessy M. Enhancing young people’s pregnancy loss and fertility awareness and knowledge via schools: a way forward. Health Promotion International. 2025;40(1):daae205. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daae205.
- Link to Publication
- https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daae205
Abstract
There is a lack of public awareness and understanding of pregnancy loss even though it happens in about one in every four pregnancies – in the form of miscarriage, stillbirth or early neonatal death. In this paper we make the case for improving pregnancy loss and (in)fertility awareness amongst young people in secondary schools. Schools are a potentially important place to learn about and discuss topics around sexual and reproductive health, including pregnancy loss and fertility. Through our review of available evidence and what is happening in practice, we found that these topics are not really included in teaching and learning, even though young people want to learn more about them. It is important that we work with young people and other interest holders (teachers, parents and others) to explore how education around pregnancy loss and fertility can be best delivered within school settings. This will help to improve people’s knowledge and awareness to enable them to fully realise their reproductive rights and goals.