The Miscarriage Association News and Events

14/5/2009 Indie Rock band "Oswald" share a song that band member Tom wrote after he and his wife experienced a miscarriage.

The song is free to listen to, but they suggest that anyone who wants to download it might make a donation to The M.A.. All money donated, less a small service charge from JustGiving.com, goes to The Miscarriage Association

5/8/2010 Research news on conceiving after miscarriage

Research published in today's British Medical Journal has found that getting pregnant within six months of having a miscarriage actually carries a lower risk of miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or other pregnancy complications than if you wait longer.

31/3/2009 Acknowledging pregnancy loss: The Miscarriage Association

View our film about the experience of miscarriage and the work of The M.A

30/4/2009 Two former BBC producers are setting up a new website called problemshare.org

Two former BBC producers are setting up a new website called problemshare.org, to enable people to share their experiences on the Internet through the medium of film. They are keen to include the experience of miscarriage and have asked for our help.

13/5/2010 A new miscarriage book for young children

We're delighted to tell you that M.A. member Gillian Griffiths' book "Goodbye Baby: Cameron's Story" has just been published by Saint Andrew Press, priced at £6.99.

Gillian was inspired to write the book after she had a miscarriage and couldn't find anything she could read with her 3 year old son, to help him talk about the loss of his baby brother or sister. It's a lovely book, beautifully illustrated by Linsday MacLeod, who also has persoanl experience of miscarriage.

22/12/2010 Swine flu and pregnancy

If you are worried about the risk of catching swine flu when you are pregnant or trying to conceive, it can be difficult to make sense of all the information in the media. We recommend the following links for reliable information on prevention and treatment of the H1N1 swine flu virus:

RCOG advice

Dept of Health advice

1/6/2009 Stitching memories together: the Patchwork Project

In October 2008, The Miscarriage Association launched a year-long project to create a large patchwork wall-hanging in memory of babies lost in pregnancy. Would you like to contribute a piece?

19/3/2010 Extracts from the latest Newsletter (Spring 2010)

* Raising Awareness * Meeting space needed * Water Baby

18/1/2011 Make a difference to NHS research

The National Institute for Health Research is looking for members of the public who can help make a difference to NHS research

19/3/2010 New group in Birmingham

We hope to set up a miscarriage support group at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, and we're looking for two or three people to help lead it. We'll provide training and support for anyone who is interested, so if you'd like to know more please contact andrea@miscarriageassociation.org.uk

26/8/2009 Personal reflections: We only ask for one child… by Catherine Midgley

The following article is written for all the women out there with no children. Not the ones who have one child and have then experienced miscarriages and not the women who have experienced miscarriages and then had a child or children. It is written for the women who are still trying for a first baby, the women who continue to have miscarriages, the women who, according to specialist doctors and rigorous testing, ‘have nothing wrong with them’.

13/10/2009 Alex Kane talks of his loss

Northern Ireland politician Alex Kane is a regular columnist for the Irish daily: The NewsLetter. In his column on Monday 12 October, he wrote about the birth of his daughter Lilah, the losses that went before, and the anxiety of miscarriage after recurrent miscarriage. It's a moving and powerful story

2/2/2010 New Training dates

There are new dates for Volunteer Introductory Days and Training Days for Volunteers in March and September 2010. All will be held in London.

1/11/2010

1/11/10 Our sympathies to Lily Allen and her partner follwoing press reports of the loss of their baby, around six months into her pregnancy. You can read more about the facts and feelings of late miscarriage here

8/11/2010

Many thanks to all of you who have done media interviews for us this week. You can read Michelle's story at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11695714

24/11/2010 Research Update (Nov 2010)

We have reported before on the Liverpool-based Prednisolone trial, investigating the diagnosis and treatment of high levels of uterine NK cells. This is to let you know that with the end of the project grant, this pilot study has now stopped recruiting participants.

The research team is seeking additional funding to be able to extend the trial. If they are successful, the trial will continue without revealing the findings of the current study, as that will provide larger numbers on which to base the team's conclusions. If not, the results of the pilot study will be reported once the current participants’ pregnancies end – hopefully at full term.

20/4/2010 Miscarriage Association secures grant to improve care of miscarriage patients

The Department of Health has awarded The M.A. a grant of £111,000 over three years so that we can run a project to improve the support and care of women (and men) who are affected by miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or molar pregnancy. We'll be working with hospitals and primary care trusts in different regions, providing training for staff, leaflets for patients, training and support for local volunteers and better links between local volunteers and health services. Competition for these grants is very tough. We're delighted that the Department of Health has recognised the importance of miscarriage care, and pleased too by this vote of confidence in our work.

5/9/2010 Christmas Cards now on sale

It’s that time of year again and we have some great new designs for this season.

The easiest way to buy your cards is to use the M.A. online shop

but, if you prefer, you can view all the cards here and order by post using the order form.

31/5/2010 Anti-depressants and miscarriage

Research just published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal* reports a link between the use of anti-depressants and increased miscarriage risk. The effect differs depending on which anti-depressant (or combination of anti-depressants) is used.

It’s not advisable for pregnant women who are using anti-depressants simply to stop taking their medication, but if you’re concerned this may be relevant to you, you might want to consult your doctor. In the meantime, we look forward to more research in this area.

24/11/2010 Chana

Chana, the Jewsih fertility organisation, is holding a conference on 31 January in London. The title is "Facing the fertility challenge together", and you'll find more information at www.chana.org.uk. If you are interested in attending and would be willing to help staff a Miscarriage Association stand, please contact ruth@miscarriageassociation.org.uk

6/12/2010 Midwives

The recent issue of “Midwives”, published by the Royal College of Midwives, has a sad account of a midwife sharing her own experience of miscarriage.

16/12/2010 Lights of Love

At this special time of year, our Lights of Love trees are memorials to babies loved and lost.You can add a message to our virtual tree here.

You're also invited to send a message to add to the tree in the Miscarriage Association office. You can write and send the message by post or e-mail the text to us and we'll add it for you.

Please think about making a donation to the M.A. when you add your message.

16/12/2010 NICE guidelines

The National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence (NICE) is creating guidelines on the management of pain and bleeding in early pregnancy and the Miscarriage Association is part of the guidelines group. Read more at http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CG/Wave23/4/Scope (especially the document called "final scope") and let us know of any issues you want raised there.

29/1/2011 Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

Would you like to provide the patient viewpoint to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists? You have till 18 February to apply.

29/1/2011 Miscarriage and heart disease

If you’ve heard news reports about the link between recurrent miscarriage and heart disease, you may wonder what they are all about.

29/1/2011 More to Life

More to Life, part of Infertility Network UK, is holding an open day on Saturday 19 March for people who are involuntarily childless

28/2/2011

Abby Scott writes about her song "My bed", written in response to Liliy Allen's miscarriages.

22/3/2011 'Secret Child'

Amy Chidley is a musician who has suffered multiple miscarriages. Her song SECRET CHILD is now available on CD to help others who have been through pregnancy loss

4/6/2011 Announcing our new website

The Miscarriage Association website has been launched. You can see how we've changed things at www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk.