Align-ju FEATURE
In a complete miscarriage , the foetus or embryo will be passed from the uterus , whereas in a missed miscarriage the foetus or embryo is retained and the body continues to produce pregnancy hormones . The woman ' s body may eventually pass the foetus or embryo , sometimes weeks later , or medical or surgical intervention may be needed .
An ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that grows outside the main cavity of the uterus , often within a fallopian tube . This type of pregnancy can be life-threatening to the mother if undetected , and can result in the loss of the affected fallopian tube and possible infertility . A molar pregnancy is when fertilisation leads to the growth of abnormal cells or clusters of water-filled sacs inside the womb [ 3 ] .
However a pregnancy is lost , and at whatever stage , the process can be traumatic , with 1 in 6 women developing post-traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) after a single pregnancy loss [ 4 ] , so early support is vital .
Supporting employees through pregnancy loss
It can be difficult to know how to support someone through a pregnancy loss , especially if you haven ' t experienced a loss yourself . It is easy to say the wrong thing , but saying nothing is often worse . If you ' re in a management position , you have a duty of care to your staff , which should prompt discussions about their wellbeing .
Phrases such as ‘ I ’ m sorry you ’ re going through this ’ or ‘ Is there anything I can do to help you ?’ can be very comforting . Try to avoid sentences that start with ‘ at least ’, such as ‘ At least you know you can get pregnant ’ or ‘ At least you can try again ’. Despite being well meant , these sentiments could be perceived as diminishing the significance of the loss , and be received negatively .
When you ' re told about a pregnancy loss , find out what support the member of staff needs and discuss the support available to them . If the practice has access to counselling , this may be helpful to them , or encourage them to speak to their GP .
Find out – and respect – whether they want the rest of the team to know about what has happened . Each loss may be different – my second and fourth losses were shared with the practice , but my third loss happened just before a holiday , so I shared the news only with the nursing team , while letting the rest of the practice assume I ' d had a lovely time away .
If the member of staff is off work , keep in touch with them and let them know that you ' re available if they need you , but make it clear there ' s no need for them to hurry back to work before they ' re ready . However , in some cases , the person may find comfort or distraction in returning to work and to a normal routine , so support whatever works for the individual . When the staff member is ready to return to work , find out how they ' d like you to support them during this period – perhaps a phased return or a full return with reduced duties , for example .
The Miscarriage Association has a useful resource hub for employers called ‘ Miscarriage and the workplace ’ [ 1 ] . It may be useful to familiarise yourself with this information , even before being approached about a pregnancy loss within your team , as 1 in 4 pregnant women experience a loss , and it is thought that female veterinary professionals may be twice as likely to miscarry due to workplace hazards [ 5 ] .
Even when your employee appears to have recovered from their loss , they may still experience emotional triggers in the future ; specific dates , such as scan dates and the due date , can be stressful as they are a reminder of what they ' ve lost .
Be mindful of the employee ' s wellbeing when other colleagues announce pregnancies , as some people could find this difficult . For me , pregnancy announcements prompted panic , sweaty palms , a racing heart and a strong urge to run away . This is common for those who have lost a pregnancy and is often followed by a sense of guilt at not feeling joyful at the pregnancy news of others . Let your employee know that this is completely normal and that it ' s OK to feel this way . While it may not be possible , or necessary , to keep these team members apart , it would be sensitive not to make the grieving member of staff solely responsible for helping the pregnant team member with tasks such as heavy lifting or refilling anaesthetic gases as , again , this can be a painful reminder of their loss .
Consider your employee ' s plans for the future . It is likely they will want to try for a successful pregnancy again , but even one loss can cause anxiety about risks to the pregnancy , particularly in the workplace . I found it helpful to be open and honest with my team so they could help me , but this comes at the cost of privacy . After my third loss , my practice completed a pregnancy risk assessment with me , ahead of my subsequent pregnancy , so they could understand which aspects of my job were causing me the greatest anxiety and which posed the greatest risks . They helped me take steps to avoid these aspects , which was very reassuring .
Volume 39 ( 6 ) • December 2024
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