“The Pandemic Has Taken Away My Right to Grieve”: Making Sense of Miscarriage During the Coronavirus Crisis

The day Hannah W. found out about her county’s first confirmed coronavirus case was the same day she found out she was pregnant. A 27-year-old public health professional based in Denver, Colorado, this was Hannah’s first pregnancy and while the country was beginning to reconcile the arrival of a global pandemic, she was filled with the excitement of impending motherhood. “In just one day my life, daily routines, and emotions changed,” she says. Extreme fatigue and morning sickness—normal symptoms that often occur in the first trimester—soon followed. But then the abnormal symptoms started: cramping and bleeding in the middle of the night. Concerned, she called her doctor. Just as COVID-19 had impacted the early days of her pregnancy, it was about to change the way she experienced pregnancy loss, too.

“My OB’s office was closed, but thankfully, they had me come in within a few hours to get checked out,” Hannah reveals. “I had to call once I arrived in the parking lot, and they did all of my check-in work over the phone. Then I was instructed to come inside. All of the medical staff were wearing masks, and I was told not to touch any door handles.” Once in an exam room, an ultrasound confirmed Hannah’s worst fears. “Our baby no longer had a heartbeat, and I was experiencing a miscarriage.” Unable to rely on the distractions of her office as she was working remotely to observe social distancing, and without physical access to friends, Hannah processed the experience mostly on her own. “The government order to self-isolate has made things much more devastating,” she says. “My family has been unable to visit, there are no friends to go have coffee with. No one to offer up a hug.”

Often the result of chromosomal abnormalities, as many as 1 in 4 confirmed pregnancies end in a miscarriage—a statistic that has not changed, even as coronavirus cases in the U.S. grow, and hospitals are overrun with patients seeking emergency medical care. As a result, many women are now left to navigate the ramifications of this traumatic experience in an environment of overwhelming uncertainty, and omnipresent fear. “Often, it’s helpful for women to get out there and go back to their normal lives after a miscarriage,” says Jennifer Butt, M.D., a Manhattan-based OB-GYN, adding that engaging in simple routines, like going to work, exercising, meeting with friends and family, can help ease the emotional toll of pregnancy loss. “Obviously,” she continues, “many of these activities are currently severely restricted and discouraged due to the coronavirus pandemic.”

While protocols around treating a miscarriage haven’t changed—when the embryo dislodges from the uterine wall, it is removed from the body either through a natural series of contractions, or by a surgical procedure referred to as dilation and curettage (D&C), in which the cervix is dilated and the uterus is scraped of any remaining pregnancy tissue—Dr. Butt does believe that if presented with the choice, women will choose not to have a D&C. “In the current climate,” she says, “I can imagine that more patients will avoid a stay at the hospital.” (Your OB-GYN is here to help during this pandemic, though, she emphasizes, explaining that talking to your doctor—either via phone or telemedicine consultation, if an in-person appointment is not possible— should always be the first course of action if you’re experiencing distress while pregnant.)

Source link