Depression after Miscarriage

Periodically when I write about miscarriage on Motherlode, a debate breaks out in the comments between those who see losing a pregnancy as a lasting tragedy in their lives and those who wonder why those women can’t see the loss as “nature’s way” and move on.

A study released today in the online version of the British Journal of Psychiatry hints at a similar debate in the psychiatric community as well. Researchers from the University of Rochester Medical School report that some women clearly experience depression and anxiety for years after a miscarriage, and that those feelings can continue even after the birth of a healthy child.

In other words, the women who comment here about their prolonged sadness are, statistically, in good company. Yet, the authors continue, it is not the norm for doctors to ask about “previous pregnancy loss” when assessing if “a woman is at risk of antenatal or postnatal depression.” They look at “other risk factors, such as a family history of depression, stressful life events or a lack of social support.” In other words, doctors assume that women will quickly “get over” a miscarriage, too.