Peer-reviewed article
Disenfranchised grief and early pregnancy loss – apropos a clinical case
Ramos S, Jesus B, Vaz Soares M, Correia J, Mendes J ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This is a clinical case study and literature review about parental grief following early pregnancy loss (before 20 weeks gestation). It describes one patient's experience of disenfranchised grief—where her loss was not acknowledged by family and social networks—leading to depression and social isolation. The authors note that early pregnancy loss is common but often minimized, and that parents can develop complicated grief or depression.
Key points
- Early pregnancy loss affects parental mental health, with documented negative effects on bereaved parents
- Disenfranchised grief occurs when losses are not socially recognized or validated, leaving parents to suffer in silence
- The patient experienced depression, suicidal ideation, and difficulty caring for her older child following loss at 14 weeks
- Despite high prevalence of early pregnancy loss, it is often considered insignificant, increasing risk of complicated grief
- Literature on prevention strategies and interventions for parents is still scarce
Limitations
This is a single clinical case study without systematic evidence about intervention effectiveness. The document does not evaluate outcomes of any specific intervention or prevention strategy, only describes one patient's experience and calls for future research.
Abstract
Introduction Perinatal death includes losses such as ectopic pregnancies, miscarriages, stillbirths and neonatal deaths. Perinatal loss has well documented negative effects on the health of the bereaved parents. Early pregnancy loss (EPL) is the spontaneous death of a fetus within the first 20 weeks of gestation. Objectives To describe a clinical case of disenfranchised grief following EPL and to review the literature. Methods We reviewed the clinical file of a patient presenting to the psychiatry outpatient clinic with disenfranchised grief. We conducted a non-systematic review on PubMed and Google Scholar. Results A 29-years-old female patient presents to the outpatient clinic with depressive symptoms and thoughts of death. The symptoms had begun 4 months earlier, following the loss of pregnancy at 14 weeks. She felt her grief was not accepted by her family and social network. Progressively, her relationships deteriorated, and she felt more and more isolated. She experienced marked difficulty in caring for her older child. Compared to other types of mourning, the loss of a child is associated with grief experience that is particularly severe and complicated. Despite the high prevalence of EPL, many women suffer in silence due to the common belief these losses are insignificant and may develop complicated grief. Conclusions Perinatal loss of an infant has the potential to have a large impact on the mental health of the bereaved parents. Literature on the efficacy of different interventions is still scarce. Further studies are necessary on prevention strategies and interventions for parents already suffering from complicated grief or depressive disorders. Disclosure No significant relationships.