Comprehensive management of pregnancy loss is enhanced by psychological support and follow-up counselling
It is generally accepted that 12%–15% of confirmed pregnancies do not progress to term, with the risk of pregnancy loss increasing with maternal age. In particular, early pregnancy loss (< 20 weeks' gestation) is experienced by one in four women. In about half these women, a medical explanation can be found,1 although, in clinical practice, investigations to identify the cause are rarely pursued. Most women go on to have successful subsequent pregnancies, although there is a slightly increased risk of a second miscarriage that increases incrementally with each subsequent loss.1
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- 1 Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Sydney, Nepean Hospital, Penrith, NSW.
- 2 Department of Psychiatry, Flinders University, Repatriation Hospital, Daw Park, SA.
- 3 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Sydney, Canberra Clinical School. The Canberra Hospital, Woden, ACT.
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