Approximately 1 in 4 women will have a miscarriage during their lifetime, most occurring within the first 3 months of gestation. This heterogeneous group of women will each live their miscarriage through their own experiential lens, although sharing certain common themes throughout their individual experiences. Common feelings associate with miscarriage include shame, uncertainty, dread, guilt, emptiness and lack of control. Some women may feel relief entwined within these other emotions.
Despite the frequency of miscarriage, the loss can be invisible and the woman and her partner may not receive the support that they feel they need. This emotional burden carried by the woman and her partner may be under appreciated by family and friends
Women who report receiving sensitive aftercare from various disciplines are described as having greater satisfaction after miscarriage and a decreased psychological distress comparted to those who do not.