Women's experiences of miscarriage in early pregnancy

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify women's perceptions of their miscarriage experiences. Ten women who had miscarried within the first 15 weeks of their first desired pregnancies were interviewed two to four months after their miscarriages. Taped interviews were examined, using content analysis to delineate categories and themes. Themes were grouped into the following categories: the miscarriage event, dealing with the loss, interacting with outsiders, and facing the future. Critical findings included the following: the hush surrounding miscarriage contributed to the inadequate support women perceived; women benefited from unconditional acceptance of their feelings; women felt responsible for their miscarriages; several women experienced pain and bleeding that they perceived as life-threatening; several women grieved their losses as they would mourn the deaths of other family members; and women emerged from their experiences with changed perspectives. Implications for advanced nursing practice and topics for future research are discussed.