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Miscarriage: It can be really hard when you don't know what to expect
The vast majority of women who suffer a miscarriage in Ireland feel unsupported by doctors, and have criticised a lack of counselling around such trauma.
Only a third of women feel their GPs provide enough support in the aftermath of miscarriage, with family and friends picking up the slack in two thirds of cases.
Similarly, just a third believe support from healthcare professionals to be good.
The Irish Examiner National Women's Health Survey, conducted by Ipsos B&A, found that one in four women experience miscarriage.
Among women who have experienced fertility issues, the figure rises to almost 50%.
In the survey of 1,000 women in Ireland, aftercare support receives the loudest criticism.
Six in 10 women said the availability of supports such as counselling is lacking.
A similar number reports that follow-up from healthcare providers is insufficient.
Jennifer Duggan, chairperson of the Miscarriage Association of Ireland, said the findings align with the organisation's experience: 'They, unfortunately, tally with what we hear ourselves from women we speak to."
Almost half criticised the quality of information provided by healthcare professionals, citing it as poor or very poor.
'It can be really hard when you don't know what to expect.
"You might be told that you may bleed heavily, but you don't know how heavy is too heavy, or how painful is too painful," said Ms Duggan.
It can be really scary and frightening to go through that with little to no information.
Naomi Collins, 45, from Galway, had her first miscarriage when she was 10 weeks pregnant.
At the hospital, she was told that the spotting would progress to miscarriage and that she should go home and wait for it to happen.
'That was the extent of the help I got in the hospital, and nobody checked up on me after that. That was disappointing,' she said.
'The overwhelming feeling was that I felt hollow."
Naomi Collins from Corrandulla, Co Galway, miscarried at 10 weeks. Picture: Ray Ryan
Given that one in four women miscarry, she said: "There are an awful lot of people who are not aware whatsoever that the woman sitting next to them at work has had a miscarriage, the woman next to you on the bus has had a miscarriage."
Some green shoots are emerging in follow-up care.
The Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) announced earlier this month that it is expanding its counselling service to include women and couples who experience recurrent pregnancy loss.
The HSE-funded pilot project is available to anyone who has two or more miscarriages in a row, offering up to eight free counselling sessions.
"The grief that accompanies miscarriage is real and deeply felt," says the IFPA's counselling director, Clare O'Brien.
We don't want anyone to feel isolated and alone. We want them to know they can speak to us about their loss, fear and frustrations without judgment — and with total confidentiality and support.
In April, University College Cork's Pregnancy Loss Research Group (PLRG) made a series of resources available to women who experience miscarriage.
The resources include accessible booklets that answer questions such as what happens next and what supports are available, and provide details of other women's lived experiences.
In response to the survey's findings on miscarriage, Professor Keelin O'Donoghue, PLRG lead and obstetrician at Cork University Maternity Hospital, said: "Pregnancy loss is a common life experience for many women.
"Everybody will experience it differently and will have different needs in their care and support after it happens.
"The awareness of what is needed and why this is important is improving, but slowly, and there is much more work to be done across society, policy, health services, and communities with regard to pregnancy loss care and supports more generally."
Resources are available on the Pregnancy Loss website —
