Qualitative Study
Qualitative Study - Miscarriages and Social Inequalities: from Lived Experience to Quantitative Analysis
We conducted fieldwork for a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews between April and August 2025 in France. 41 interviews were collected with people who had experienced a "miscarriage" within the previous five years in mainland France.
What are the objectives of the study ?
The aim of this qualitative study is to document the diversity of situations and experiences of miscarriage in France.
The data collected sheds light on the physical and mental health consequences of miscarriage. We pay particular attention to expericnes of medical care and relationships with healthcare professionals, to better understand care pathways within the French healthcare system.
Another aim of the study is to gather individuals' perceptions and definitions of miscarriage, by asking them to comment on the wording of epidemological survey questionnaires on miscarriage (cognitive interview method).
Combined with analyses from the quantitative SOC-MISC study, these results will make it possible to improve the monitoring of miscarriages in epidemiological surveys, through a better understanding of they are reported in such surveys.
What outcomes are expected ?
Three scientific publications are planned based on the interview date, including topics such as definitions and perceptions of miscarriage, care pathways trajectories and mental health after miscarriage.
The reults of this study will also contribute to several initiatives aimed at healthcare professionals and/or the public:
- contribution to the update of clinical practice guidelines for the managemebt of spontaneous pregnancy loss during the first trimester of pregnancy (section "Patients information"), leaded by the French National College of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians (CNGOF);
- contribution to the update of preconception health recommendations (French National Authority for Health, HAS) through the addition of targeted information on spontaneous firs-trimester pregnancy loss;
- development of an awareness-raising and information infographic on miscarriage, in collaboration with healthcare professionals and volunteer participants who took part in the qualitative study, with the support of the Solimut Foundation;
- participation in a Frencg/Belgian documentary film for ARTE/RTBF on first-trimester miscarriages (scheduled for release in autumn 2027), as well as in the French podcast "So ovaires it" (scheduled for release in summer 2026).
