MiNESS 20-28: research into late pregnancy loss
The MiNESS 20-28 study is looking at factors which might be linked to pregnancy losses between 20 and 28 weeks of pregnancy.
This period includes both late second trimester miscarriages and stillbirths. The researchers have chosen to use the term ‘early stillbirth’ to cover both. MiNESS 20-28 is the short name for the Mothers Working to Prevent Early Stillbirth Study (@MiNESS20_28).
In the UK, 1,600 babies a year die between 20 and 28 weeks of pregnancy, and it’s important to know if there are practical steps that could reduce this number.
A previous study showed that after 28 weeks of pregnancy, mothers who go to sleep on their back or who drink more caffeine in later pregnancy are two times more likely to have a stillbirth. Changes to care, such as the #sleeponside campaign, have helped to reduce the number of babies dying through stillbirth in late pregnancy. However, we don’t know whether the same things affect the chance of baby loss earlier in pregnancy.
The MiNESS 20-28 study will check whether the same or different factors are linked to pregnancy loss between 20-28 weeks, with hospitals around the UK taking part.
Taking part
If you are receiving pregnancy care at a participating hospital, you may be invited to take part. They hope to talk to:
- women/birthing parents whose babies have sadly died between 20 and 28 weeks and
- women/people who are currently pregnant.
What participants will be asked to do
Each person will be invited to take part in a meeting (online or face to face, lasting 1-2 hours) with a research midwife. The midwife will ask about their background, general health, lifestyle, pregnancy symptoms and the healthcare provided by their midwife or doctor during their pregnancy.
Here’s an excellent video that tells you more:
If you are invited, we hope you will consider joining the study.