Hope for the best … but expect the worst: a qualitative study to explore how women with recurrent miscarriage experience the early waiting period of a new pregnancy
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate how women experience the initial period of a new pregnancy after suffering recurrent miscarriage (RM). DESIGN: A qualitative study, nested within a randomised controlled feasibility study of a coping intervention for RM, used semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using a thematic network approach. SETTING: Participants were recruited from the Recurrent Miscarriage Clinic and Early Pregnancy Unit in two tertiary referral hospitals in the UK. PARTICIPANTS: 14 women with RMs and who had previously participated in the randomised controlled trial (RCT) feasibility component of the study were recruited. RESULTS: Seven organising themes emerged from the data: (1) turmoil of emotions, (2) preparing for the worst, (3) setting of personal milestones, (4) hypervigilance, (5) social isolation, (6) adoption of pragmatic approaches, (7) need for professional affirmation. CONCLUSIONS: The study established that for women with a history of RM, the waiting period of a new pregnancy is a traumatic time of great uncertainty and emotional turmoil and one in which they express a need for emotional support. Consideration should be given to the manner in which supportive care is best delivered within the constraints of current health service provision. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN43571276.
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Identity tension can extend into subsequent pregnancies, often permeated by fear, guilt, and anxiety, and the bond with the new baby tends to be formed cautiously as a strategy of emotional self-protection.
“In-line with the results of this review, synthesis, and meta-ethnography, it was found that this identity tension can extend into subsequent pregnancies, often permeated by fear, guilt, and anxiety. In such cases, the bond with the new baby tends to be formed cautiously as a strategy of emotional self-protection (55).”
From Experiences and long-term repercussions of perinatal grief in women after perinatal bereavement: a meta-ethnography (2025) · cites this paper as [55]
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“These responses may be persistent, with long-term implications for mental health in subsequent pregnancies [20], particularly if a woman has no living children [21] or if EPL is recurrent [22, 23].”
- Authors
- Bailey, S. L., Boivin, J., Cheong, Y. C., Kitson-Reynolds, E., Bailey, C., & Macklon, N.
- Affiliations
- University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- Cardiff University (GB)
- Princess Anne Hospital (GB)
- University of Southampton (GB)
- University of Nottingham (GB)
- Zealand University Hospital (DK)
- Corresponding author
- Bailey, Sarah Louise
- ORCID
- Venue
- BMJ Open
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 2019-05
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- e029354
- ISSN
- 2044-6055 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6549705
- OpenAlex
- W2947047271
- Cited by
- 54
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 1.20
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc
- Locations
- BMJ Open (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- ORCA Online Research @Cardiff (Cardiff University) (acceptedVersion)
- ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (acceptedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Programme Grants for Applied Research
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Reproductive System and Pregnancy
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Reproductive Health and Technologies
- Keywords
- recurrent pregnancy loss, early pregnancy, waiting period, women's experiences, emotional turmoil, hypervigilance, social isolation, coping, emotional support, coping interventions
- MeSH terms
- Abortion, Habitual, Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Anxiety, Female, Humans, Pregnancy, Qualitative Research, Hope
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