The language used by healthcare professionals to describe pregnancy loss exacerbates the grief and trauma experienced by some individuals, a report has concluded.
A team from University College London has developed a set of recommendations to guide healthcare professionals when interacting with those experiencing pregnancy loss.
The guidance is based on a study of 290 people with lived experience of pregnancy loss and 49 healthcare professionals from across the UK.
It showed that language can have a significant impact on the experience of loss and a person’s future mental recovery and wellbeing.
Yet there are currently no common processes in place to allow those experiencing pregnancy loss to feel able to express or influence their language preferences, the researchers said.
Those taking part in the study said they had experienced difficulties in understanding communication about their care after pregnancy loss which made it ‘frightening’ or ‘confusing’.
This is further compounded for people who have English as an additional language.
The researchers said words such as ‘abortion’, ‘feticide’ and ‘termination’ were described by participants as very challenging and distressing when used to provide medical information about procedures involved in the loss of a much-wanted baby.
Others noted that such words as ‘miscarriage’ and ‘incompetent cervix’ contributed to feelings of guilt and self-blame after pregnancy loss.
In a series of focus groups, participants associated terms such as ‘blighted ovum’, ‘empty sac’, and ‘chemical pregnancy’ with strong negative emotions and felt that in some contexts these phrases implied that they had failed or that their baby had never existed.
Many participants who had experienced pregnancy loss at a range of gestational ages said the language used made their experience harder and said there needed to be opportunities to state their own personal language preferences.
The authors recommended that healthcare professionals should:
- Be aware that language matters and the words you use can deeply affect someone’s experience of pregnancy loss, so use the same language they do
- If in doubt, ask how someone wants you to talk or write about their experience and their baby. This helps you understand their feelings and choose words that match
- Use framing strategies once you know how someone sees their loss and their baby, for example, talking around a clinical report in more gentle terms, to reduce the impact of difficult language
- Respect their preferences and do not use language that goes against how someone has described their experience or their baby, including using dehumanising language when the baby has been given a name
It is estimated that more than one in six pregnancies in the UK end in loss each year.
Lead author Dr Beth Malory said: ‘These findings really show just how important language is in pregnancy loss care, and the testimony of those who took part in the study illustrates the long-term impact it can have on someone experiencing pregnancy loss.
‘Our evidence clearly indicates the steps we can take to improve language during and after experiences of pregnancy loss and lays the groundwork for a more conscientious and compassionate approach.’
Dr Jyotsna Vohra, director of research, programmes and impact at baby loss charity Tommy’s, said: ‘We know from our communities that some of the words still used routinely to describe experiences of baby loss can be deeply upsetting.
‘There is no language that can take away the pain, but the trauma and grief from this loss can be made worse if described in ways that feel uncaring and unfamiliar.
‘We welcome the recommendations in this report and hope they will inspire change where it is needed, and soon.’
