Miscarriage – The Hidden Loss with Andrea Byrne

Miscarriage: The Hidden Loss

A Wales This Week special

“Of all the things to do with fertility, or infertility, …miscarriage is possibly the greatest taboo of them all” – Andrea Byrne

In a special extended episode of Wales This Week, ITV presenter Andrea Byrne will be  opening up about the impact of miscarriage on her, with the aim of breaking down the stigma that still surrounds it. 

During the programme, she meets women who have gone through the same experience. She also speaks to experts and politicians to find out what support is available, and meets the scientists trying to find answers about why a miscarriage happens. 

By sharing her own personal experience, she hopes to raise awareness of just how common miscarriage is, how many people it affects and how important accessing the right support can be for women to deal with their loss. 

In the UK, an estimated one in five pregnancies are thought to end in miscarriage, which typically takes place during the first 23 weeks of pregnancy. 

ITV Cymru Wales presenter Andrea Byrne said:

“It seems strange now after all the years we went through of thinking we’d never fall pregnant to then saying that I’ve been pregnant six times and I have Jemima but the rest of those pregnancies did not come to anything – so I think that’s still something i’m coming to terms with”

I want to use my own experience to make people more aware of just how common that experience is, how widely different that experience can be for different women, different couples in different situations and perhaps if we start talking about it it can make a bit of a difference for the better.”

Kath Abrahams from Tommy’s Pregnancy Charity added:

“I think there’s a myth that miscarriage is just one of those things, and it just wasn’t meant to be but we know it’s devastating to people.

We don’t know exactly how many miscarriages happen, because they’re not counted so there isn’t a standardised system of counting them but our estimation is that across the UK there are about 250,000 miscarriages that happen every year and one in five pregnancies end in loss.”

Miscarriage : The Hidden Loss airs on Thursday October 6th at 9.00pm on ITV Cymru Wales. 

It will also be available for catch up on www.itv.com/walesprogrammes/tags/wales-this-week 

If you have been affected by the topics raised in this article or programme, organisations that can offer support include Tommy’s on 020 7398 3400 (www.tommys.org), Sands on 0808 164 3332 (www.sands.org.uk), The Miscarriage Association on 01924 200799 (www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk) and Fertility Network on 0121 323 505 (www.fertlilitynetwork.org )