By What are recurrent miscarriages? What are their consequences? What can we do to reduce their psychological impact? We’ll tell you all about it in this article!
What is a recurrent abortion?
A recurrent miscarriage is considered to occur when the person has lost 3 or more pregnancies . To be considered spontaneous, it must be involuntary. It is also a requirement that it occurs before the twentieth week of pregnancy or, on the other hand, when the fetus weighs less than 500 grams. When these conditions are not met, then it is called intrauterine fetal death.
It is clear that the physical consequences of repeated miscarriages must be monitored, as pregnancy has a considerable impact on the body. The most common are the risk of intrauterine infection and haemorrhages.
On the other hand, menstruation will not return until 4-6 weeks after the event. However, the emotional consequences of repeated miscarriages are not usually taken into account by institutions.
Emotional consequences of repeated abortion
The central pillar of what will later become grief is that by the time a fetus approaches 20 weeks, parents have had time to create an identity for it in their minds . They have seen ultrasounds, the bulge in the belly is already visible, or they may have already learned the sex . All of this contributes to them seeing the fetus as a future member of the family, even though its development is not complete.
For this reason, abortion is a potentially traumatic event , which can be compared to the effect of losing a loved one. Distorted internal dialogues are common , in which catastrophic and self-destructive thoughts predominate. If this situation is prolonged, is not identified or treated, it can end up generating significant clinical entities.
It is at these times that emotional support in recurrent miscarriage becomes important. Not only does it act as a recovery factor in grief, but it can also be adopted as a preventive measure. Let’s look at this in more depth.
The importance of emotional support in recurrent abortion
From the twelfth week of pregnancy, it is already possible to see and hear the fetus. Therefore, loss due to abortion has a particularity: grief is not based on memories and changes in habits, but on prenatal ties based on desires, hopes and fantasies. This is what makes emotional support in recurrent abortions somewhat scarcer than in other, more normative losses. However, the influence of peers at these times is decisive:
- Partner: Each person experiences grief in a different way. However, experiencing it with someone within a framework of understanding, mutual help and a constructive attitude is healing. It helps overcome pain and acts as a protective factor against possible disorders.
- Family: Much like a partner, the family plays a very important role as an external influence on the person who aborts. It can make the difference between feeling safe or feeling like a failure, depending on the pressures the family puts on the person.
- Close friends: Sometimes a close circle of friends can be as emotionally important as family. However, they have the advantage of living in a world more similar to that of the bereaved, so more empathy is often expected from them. A lack of them causes feelings of loneliness and failure.
What can I do if someone in my circle has several abortions?
The care provided to a person who has lost an unborn child is not very different from that needed by anyone who has suffered a loss. It is advisable to adjust to their rhythms, help with distractions and avoid the subject of reproduction if necessary.
And of course, if you want to provide emotional support for a loved one who has had a recurrent miscarriage, it is very important to pay attention to any signs of emotional pathology . That will be the time to suggest that he or she seek professional help to overcome his or her pain.