'Miscarriage rule left me struggling in limbo'

An NHS rule on when women can receive support after miscarriage is leaving people "in limbo" and struggling with their mental health, a mother has warned.

Bethany Hume‑Teague, from Bath, is currently pregnant with her second child after experiencing multiple miscarriages. She said it was "awful" being told she would have to go through another pregnancy loss before being able to access further help.

Pregnancy and baby charity Tommy's is calling for the NHS to instead use a Graded Model of Miscarriage Care, which would offer support after a first miscarriage rather than after multiple losses.

The government said it was considering "wider adoptions" around pregnancy loss care across the NHS in England.

Currently, women are typically offered further investigations and specialist support after experiencing multiple miscarriages rather than after a first pregnancy loss.

Hume‑Teague said she was unaware of the rule when she suffered her second miscarriage.

The NHS currently defines a recurrent miscarriage as having three or more miscarriages. The miscarriages do not need to happen one after the other.

NHS England was approached for a comment.

"Whilst it does happen and it is common it doesn't take away from the pain that you experience as an individual," Hume-Teague said.

"The first one I had very little support with. It was hard, but I think I took it okay.

"With the second one I was seen in a hospital setting. I didn't really know about this three miscarriage rule. There was nothing - no support offered at all.

"I really pushed back and said I wanted something to be done and it was a very blanket, 'not until you've had three' and it was awful."

"Being in the limbo of not knowing what's going on - that's almost the hardest part."

According to The Miscarriage Association, one in four pregnancies in the UK ends in loss.

Hume-Teague said the mental impact it can have is "quite underappreciated" with women expected to just "get on with it" after going through a traumatic time.

"You want some answers and you don't want somebody to tell you, you have to go through it again to get some," she added.

Dr Jyotsna Vohra, director of research, programmes and impact at Tommy's, said it was proposing a more "structured approach" to miscarriage care.

"What happens is after a person suffers a first miscarriage they would be provided with support and sign posted. They would have good conversations with a general practitioner or midwife about general health," she said.

"It wouldn't cost the NHS more money."

The charity said that implementing the Graded Model of Miscarriage Care for one year could save more than £40m across the UK by preventing an estimated 10,075 miscarriages.

The figures include reduced NHS costs, fewer productivity losses and wider societal impacts.

The model proposes offering information, monitoring and mental health support after a first miscarriage, rather than waiting until a woman has experienced multiple losses.

Tommy's said the model would then require blood tests to check for things such as anaemia after a second miscarriage and after a third, more tests and scans would be carried out to screen for genetic issues.

Scotland has already begun integrating the approach into its miscarriage care pathway.

A pilot is also taking place at Birmingham Women and Children's Hospital, which experts believe will prevent thousands of miscarriages every year by offering earlier checks and advice.

Tommy's is now urging policymakers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to follow suit.

Baroness Merron, parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department of Health and Social Care, welcomed the findings.

She said: "Pregnancy and baby loss can have a devastating impact on women and families, who too often feel they have been left without the care and support they need.

She said the report would be carefully considered as part of ongoing work to ensure women get high-quality, compassionate NHS care.

She added: "Research like this is crucial, and our renewed Women's Health Strategy puts women's voices and experiences at the heart of care. It will drive better outcomes so women across the country are better heard and better served by the health system."

Some people develop clinical depression after losing a pregnancy.

Partners or families also often struggle with difficult feelings such as grief and sadness.

If you are struggling with your mental health you can contact your GP for support or charities such as the Miscarriage Association, Tommy's an Child Bereavement UK can offer specialised help.

The NHS has a list of organisations you can contact.

Details of help and support with pregnancy related issues are available at BBC

Action Line.

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