Barbara Bush Miscarriage Story Sheds Light On Emotions Of Pregnancy Loss

President George W. Bush has sparked a "national conversation" about the psychological impact of miscarriage by discussing a miscarriage his mother experienced when he was in his teens, the New York Times reports (Carey, New York Times, 11/9). In an NBC News interview that aired Monday, the former president said that his mother, Barbara Bush, carried the remains of her miscarried fetus in a jar as he drove her to the hospital. George Bush also describes the incident in his new book, "Decision Points." Seeing the fetus influenced his "philosophy that we should respect life," Bush said (DeLong, "44," Washington Post, 11/9).

Many experts say the situation was unusual in that Barbara Bush "made a point of directly confronting the loss" in an era when the subject of miscarriage was "largely taboo," the Times reports. Physician and author Randi Hutter Epstein said that in the post-war U.S., a miscarriage "wasn't thought of as losing a life; it was more like a medical mishap." Epstein added that "although women felt it privately, they didn't feel it was worthy of going to see someone, or seeking help."

Miscarriage is "now a much bigger deal," with more attention focused on the psychological effects on the woman, Epstein said. While most women who miscarry do not experience psychological problems, some women equate the loss to a death in the family and suffer extreme distress that can last for months. A 1997 study found that the rate of depression among 229 women who spontaneously miscarried was more than two times above average. Richard Neugebauer, author of the study and an epidemiologist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, said the women's grief lasted for many months. Other research indicates that women who are childless tend to experience heavier psychological distress. For women who have had multiple miscarriages, the situation raises questions about whether to pursue adoption or to try to continue to conceive, issues that can raise marital strife, according to psychologist Donald Schumacher, president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (New York Times, 11/9).


Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families.


© 2010 National Partnership for Women & Families. All rights reserved.