Miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy may trigger post-traumatic stress disorder

Women may be at risk of post-traumatic stress disorder following a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy, suggests a new study. The team behind the research, from Imperial College London , say the findings suggest women should be routinely screened for the condition, and receive specific psychological support following pregnancy loss. In the study, published in the journal BMJ Open , the team surveyed 113 women who had recently experienced a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. The majority of the women in the study had suffered a miscarriage in the first three months of pregnancy, while around 20 per cent had suffered an ectopic pregnancy, where the baby starts to grow outside of the womb. The results revealed four in ten women reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) three months after the pregnancy loss. We were surprised at the high number of women who experienced symptoms of PTSD after early pregnancy loss. Dr Jessica Farren Study author Miscarriage affects one in four pregnancies in the UK, and is defined as the loss of a baby before 24 weeks - although most miscarriages occur before 12 weeks.