Commentary: Nine women share what it’s like to have a miscarriage

Dr Susie Kilshaw After ten years of studying miscarriage, Dr Susie Kilshaw (UCL Anthropology) shares in The Conversation the shared and unique experiences of nine women who have had a miscarriage. Miscarriage is a common woman's health experience, but one that affects people differently. Ten years of studying miscarriage has taught me that no two women will have the same experience, and that the same woman is likely to experience separate miscarriages very differently. There's also a great deal of variation in types of miscarriage and a lack of understanding of this, which often leaves women adrift. A miscarriage is the loss of a pregnancy during the first 23 weeks. It's estimated that one in five pregnancies end in miscarriage, with most occurring in the first 12 weeks. My research focuses on these early miscarriages.