ABSTRACT
The procedures that occur following a miscarriage and the terminology used by healthcare professionals when referring to these procedures can have psychological consequences that affect the ability of some women to mourn and recover from early miscarriage. The lack of social or medical recognition that the loss was a baby compounds the isolation that is felt by many women, and can leave them grappling with difficult emotional reactions long after physical recovery has taken place. Recent technological advances mean that women can identify with their pregnancy very early on, and this early identification may well exacerbate the difficulties of adjusting to an early pregnancy loss. A common assumption is that the degree of psychological distress will be proportional to the stage of pregnancy at which loss occurs. Every loss is unique and carries individual significance, but the following factors commonly influence the way in which people react to their pregnancy loss.
