What is Perinatal Loss?
- Perinatal loss includes miscarriage (fetal death before 20 weeks), stillbirth (after 20 weeks), and death of an infant in the first 28 days of life.
- About 650,000 women in the United States experience perinatal loss each year.
- Of these losses, miscarriages occur in about 10-15% of recognized pregnancies.
- Stillbirths occur in 1 in 160 live births and neonatal death occurs in an additional 1 in 145 live births.
Perinatal Loss and Major Depression
- Some women adjust to perinatal loss without depression, but others may feel depressed or experience conflict with their partner.
- Women with a perinatal loss are 2-3 times more likely to develop major depression in the months after their loss than women without a loss.
Some Symptoms of Depression include:
- Feelings of sadness or emptiness
- Losing pleasure or interest in things you usually enjoy
- Fatigue or loss of energy
- Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
- Consistent difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much
- Losing weight or loss of appetite
- Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
- Hopelessness or purposelessness
