The Miscarriage Association

Monday 25 February saw the launch of our campaign to get people talking about miscarriage, beginning with an item on BBC Breakfast news. Read our press release here.

Day 1 ended with a late-night feature on Radio 5 Live, where presenter Tony Livesy talked to men as well as women about their experience of pregnancy loss and infertility. The miscarriage feature begins 47 minutes into the broadcast.

We continued today with a moving phone-in on BBC Radio Manchester, beginning with presenter Sam Walker talking publicly about her own experience of recurrent miscarriage.

As ever, our warm thanks to:

• London marketing experts LIDA for their unrivalled design work for the campaign
• media and PR company Pumpkin for getting the messages out there
• all the people who have volunteered to talk openly to the media about their experiences of miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy.

Please help us keep the conversation going on Facebook and @MiscarriageA.

Monday 25 February sees the launch of our campaign to get people talking about miscarriage, beginning with an item on BBC Breakfast news.

Watch out for our 5 foot high posters at railway stations: Bath Spa, Bristol Temple Meads, Cardiff Central, Exeter St Davids, Glasgow Central, Linlithgow, Liverpool Central, London Blackfriars, London City Thameslink, London Finsbury Park, Reading, St Albans, Newcastle Central, Newcastle Monument.

Look out too for some mystery blue envelopes.  If you find one, read what’s inside and then put it back where you found it…

Our warm thanks to:

• London marketing experts LIDA for their unrivalled design work for the campaign
• media and PR company Pumpkin for getting the messages out there
• all those who donated to the campaign
• the Big Give and the Reed foundation for matched giving

Help us keep the conversation going on Facebook and @MiscarriageA.

Read our press release here

Monday 25 February will see the launch of our campaign to get people talking about miscarriage.

Watch out for our 5′ high posters at railway stations: Bath Spa, Bristol Temple Meads, Cardiff Central, Exeter St Davids, Glasgow Central, Linlithgow, Liverpool Central, London Blackfriars, London City Thameslink, London Finsbury Park, Reading, St Albans, Newcastle Central, Newcastle Monument.

There won’t be posters at Ipswich station, but there is the chance to talk, as the Ipswich & E Suffolk Miscarriage Support Group meets that same evening, Monday 25 February at 6.30 p.m..  They meet in the Parentcraft Room at Ipswich Hospital, next to car park G.

“People kept asking me how Christine was, but not how I was feeling. It was as if having a baby was a couple thing but having a miscarriage was just for women…”.

Not at the M.A.. We recognise that the needs of partners, male or female, are often forgotten and do our best to fill the gap, through:

• our leaflet Men and Miscarriage
• male as well as female support volunteers
• “Not just for girls: a Facebook page set up by one of our members at www.facebook.com/groups/524078184283198/
• a section for partners, male or female, on our support forum:

Please don’t feel alone. We’ll always do our best to provide the support and information that you need after pregnancy loss.

Research If you have had a miscarriage and/or are due to have fertility treatment, you might want to take part in the TABLET trial, which is looking at the role of thyroid antibodies in pregnancy.  You’ll find details here.

Cycling If you love cycling, like a challenge and would like to combine these with raising funds for the Miscarriage Association – we have two terrific events for you to choose from: Nightrider and RideLondon 100.

We have just 8 charity places left for Nightrider™ on 8-9 June. A 100k moonlit ride past some of London’s most famous landmarks, it’s one of the most sought after cycling events of the year. Imagine cycling across Tower Bridge, through a deserted City of London and Canary Wharf, past London Zoo, Piccadilly Circus and more.

If you’re looking for something even more challenging, we have just 3 charity places available for the fantastic new RideLondon 100 on 4 August.  This is a 100 mile cycle challenge following the Olympic route through the closed roads of London and the Surrey hills.  See http://www.ridelondon.co.uk/Events/100.htm for more details.

If you’d like to take part in either of these events and raise funds for the Miscarriage Association at the same time, you can find out more here – or contact ruth@miscarriageassociation.org.uk for an informal chat.

Research If you have had a miscarriage and/or are due to have fertility treatment, you might want to take part in the TABLET trial, which is looking at the role of thyroid antibodies in pregnancy.  You’ll find details here.

Cycling If you love cycling, like a challenge and would like to combine thes with raising funds for the miscarriage Association – we have two terrific events for you to choose from: Nightrider and RideLondon 100.

We have just 8 charity places left for Nightrider™ on 8-9 June. A 100k moonlit ride past some of London’s most famous landmarks, it’s one of the most sought after cycling events of the year. Imagine cycling across Tower Bridge, through a deserted City of London and Canary Wharf, past London Zoo, Piccadilly Circus and more.

If you’re looking for something even more challenging, we have just 3 charity places available for the fantastic new RideLondon 100 on 4 August.  This is a 100 mile cycle challenge following the Olympic route through the closed roads of London and the Surrey hills.  See http://www.ridelondon.co.uk/Events/100.htm for more details.

If you’d like to take part in either of these events and raise funds for the Miscarriage Association at the same time, you can find out more here – or contact ruth@miscarriageassociation.org.uk for an informal chat.

Thanks to the Reed Foundation and everyone who supported our Big Give Christmas Challenge, we are now planning a month-long poster campaign, targeting passengers at five large UK railway stations.

The posters will be large, bold and simple – “Miscarriage: let’s talk about it”. They will aim to raise awareness of miscarriage, make a statement (“we’re talking about it here!”), promote a change of attitude, and alert people to the Miscarriage Association as a source of support and information.

Watch this space for updates!

We are supporting a project to improve the way medical students are taught about pregnancy loss, so that they have a better understanding of the care that women need at this time.

If you have experienced pregnancy loss and you are willing to give your views (anonymously), please read more here.

Whether you’re a believer or not, we’re clearly in the run up to Christmas. Traditionally it’s a time for celebrating, a time for family and friends and, very often, a time where children and babies are in the forefront of people’s minds.

Some of you will find this a very dark time and might struggle to get through the festive season. Some of you will be deeply thankful for the baby or babies you now have. Either way, many of you will be thinking about your lost babies, the children who might have been.

Please remember that we are here for you.

• Even when we close for the holidays (Tue and Wed 25 and 26 December; and Tue 1 Jan) we have a team of volunteers who are happy to offer telephone support. (Call 01924 200799 to get their contact details.)
• If you join our support forum by 3.30 p.m. on 24 Dec, or between 27 and 31 Dec, you can post and read messages throughout the breaks, thanks to our volunteer moderators.
• You can use our Facebook pages at any time to share your thoughts and feelings with others.
• You may want to create a message to your baby or babies on our Lights of Love tree at http://www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk/support/marking-your-loss/lights-of-love-tree/

And you may also feel that this is a perfect time to support the  Miscarriage Association, to help us to be there for others who have lost a baby in pregnancy.  Please consider making a donation and/or visit http://www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk/get-involved/ to see how you can help to make a difference.

Here’s hoping you have a gentle and peaceful holiday season and a happy 2013.

From all of us at the Miscarriage Association.

The Miscarriage Association warmly welcomes the publication today of new guidelines on the diagnosis and management of miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy.

Developed and published by NICE, the guidelines recommend that women who experience miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy should receive “good, consistent, timely and effective care and support that addresses their needs and enables them to make informed decisions.”

Please read our full response below.

The Miscarriage Association warmly welcomes the new NICE[i] guidelines on the diagnosis and management of miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy.

The guidelines give the clear message that care for women who experience pain and bleeding in early pregnancy must be of high quality, evidence-based and effective and that standards should be consistent across the country.

The detailed framework for clinical care includes the importance of providing clear and accurate information and support for patients and their partners.  It also recognises that this may require additional training for the staff who care for them.  The Miscarriage Association is keen to use its resources and experience to support these recommendations.

We fully endorse the following principles and recommendations:

• The need for consistent and high quality care for women who experience pain and bleeding in early pregnancy.
  • At present, standards and care pathways vary considerably

• Dedicated early pregnancy assessment services to be organised to provide specialist services 7 days a week.
  • At present, opening hours and referral systems vary widely

• The importance of timely diagnosis – or ruling out – of ectopic pregnancy to reduce the risk of serious complications
  • Ectopic pregnancy may not be suspected by the woman or her doctor, especially if there are no obvious symptoms

• The recommendation of a second scan, where appropriate, to confirm the diagnosis of miscarriage rather than a viable pregnancy
  • A single scan may not be 100% accurate, especially in early pregnancy

• The need for emotional support and information-giving
  • Dignity, respect, sensitivity and good communication are crucial to every patient (and her partner)
  • Explanations and information must be clear, accurate and understandable
  • Information should take account of individual needs, including language or comprehension difficulties.
  • Medical terminology should be sensitive to patients’ feelings: miscarriage, not abortion; remains of your baby/pregnancy, not products of conception

• Recommendation of high quality research into the effectiveness and risks of progesterone in threatened miscarriage
  • We need to know if progesterone might reduce the risk of miscarriage; and if so, to ensure it has no risks for mother or baby

We cannot, however, endorse the following recommendations/exclusions:

• Expectant management (letting nature take its course, as against medical or surgical management) as the first-line response in confirmed miscarriage
  • This removes patient choice – a crucial component of the patient-centred care which the guideline generally recommends
  • Previous research indicates that most women have a definite preference for one management method or another
  • Enforced waiting once miscarriage is confirmed can be extremely distressing for the woman and her partner

We believe that as long as the woman is clinically stable, offering informed choice of all available and clinically appropriate management options should be the first-line strategy in confirmed diagnosis of non-viable pregnancy.

• The exclusion of molar (hydatidiform mole) pregnancy from the guideline.
  • This form of pregnancy loss is most often diagnosed after surgical management of miscarriage and we believe the guideline should include a general statement regarding recommended means of contact, information and referral.
  • See also http://www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Molar-Pregnancy-May-11.pdf