Artificial placentas, pregnancy loss and loss-sensitive care

Area of Science:

• Bioethics
• Reproductive Medicine
• Philosophy of Medicine

Background:

• Pregnancy loss is often conflated with procreative loss, where the fetus dies.
• Existing recognition of pregnancy loss occurs when neonates require intensive care after premature birth.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore pregnancy loss as distinct from procreative loss, particularly in the context of emerging artificial placenta technology.
• To analyze the potential impact of artificial placentas on the experience and visibility of pregnancy loss.
• To propose practical recommendations for care pathways and language surrounding artificial placenta use.

Main Methods:

• Philosophical analysis of pregnancy, gestation, and loss.
• Examination of existing experiences of pregnancy loss in neonatal intensive care settings.
• Consideration of future implications of artificial placenta technology.

Main Results:

• Pregnancy loss can occur independently of procreative loss, even when the gestated entity survives.
• Artificial placenta technology may intensify and make more visible the experience of pregnancy loss without procreative loss.
• The embodied nature of pregnancy and the separability of gestation from pregnancy are key concepts.

Conclusions:

• Pregnancy is an embodied state, but gestation is a process that can be separated from the experience of pregnancy.
• Artificial placentas necessitate a re-evaluation of pregnancy loss, emphasizing non-fetal-centric perspectives.
• Recommendations include specialized counseling and careful language use in clinical settings involving artificial placentas.