Abstract
Objective
To determine the factors that predict grief intensity in women who have a pregnancy loss.
Design
Inception cohort of women followed up for 18 months after an involuntary pregnancy loss.
Setting
The Netherlands.
Patients
2140 recently pregnant women recruited through a notice in a popular family magazine provided information on coping with normal pregnancy, delivery, and complications. 227 women (10.6%) subsequently reported spontaneous loss of the pregnancy and 221 of these were studied. 91% of the losses occurred at <20 weeks of pregnancy, 97% of the women were married or in stable relationships, mean age was 29 years, 32% did not have children, and 41% had had a previous pregnancy loss. Follow up was 94%.
Assessment of prognostic factors
Risk factors were assessed using the Dutch version of the Symptom Checklist-90 (psychiatric symptoms) and the Dutch Personality Questionnaire.
