‘URGENT PROBLEM’
Black women are at 40% higher risk of miscarriage, experts warn
BLACK women are at a 40 per cent higher risk of miscarriage than white women, experts have warned.
A miscarriage is the loss of a pregnancy during the first three months of pregnancy, with a "late miscarriage" between 14 and 24 weeks.
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There are many reasons why a miscarriage can occur, but the majority are not caused by anything a mother has done.
Most of the time a woman won't find out why she had a miscarriage, which can make the ordeal more distressing.
In the first trimester of pregnancy, usually a miscarriage is the result of a problem with the unborn baby.
The NHS says a common cause is thought to be abnormal chromosomes in the foetus.
In about two to five per cent of miscarriages, genetics are to blame if a partner has an abnormality in one of their chromosomes they are not aware of.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) says the issue of miscarriage in black women is problem that needs to be paid greater attention.
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Dr Christine Ekechi previously launched a taskforce with the RCOG to help tackle inequality and said more needs to be done.
She said that all women should feel heard and be treated with kindness and that miscarriages needed to be understood in all women.
Dr Ekechi told the: "The thing that needs greater consideration is the understanding that every woman irrespective of their ethnicity, or race, is of value,
"I really push against the homogenisation or the grouping of all black women as one, that their thoughts and their beliefs and experiences are all the same - they are not.
"And so really where the problem occurs is when we don't see black women as equal to any other women.
"We want all women to feel heard and valued and treated with kindness - but in understanding better the causes of miscarriage in all women, we may get closer in understanding why we see this stark difference for black women."
What are symptoms of early miscarriage?
The most clear sign a woman is having a miscarriage is bleeding, varying from light spotting to heavy blood clots.
But bear in mind, some bleeding during the first three months of pregnancy is normal and does not necessarily mean a miscarriage - contact the maternity team or GP as soon as possible.
Other symptoms of a miscarriage include:
- cramping and pain in your lower tummy
- a discharge of fluid from your vagina
- a discharge of tissue from your vagina
- no longer experiencing the symptoms of pregnancy, such as feeling sick and breast tenderness
Dr Edward Morris, the head of the RCOG said racial bias is having an impact on the care some women are receiving.
He said there are complex reasons as to why black women are at higher risk of miscarriage and that more research needs to be conducted across all ethnicities.
Around one in five pregnancies end in miscarriage and half of the losses are thought to involve severe chromosomal issues which affect baby's genetic code - which means the baby would have never survived.
Other issues that put women at risk are thought to include endometriosis, infections, high blood pressure and other gynaecological conditions.
Causes do however, remain unclear and research shows that black women are four times more likely to die in child birth than white women.
Black women also face higher rates of stillbirth and miscarriage.
'UNACEPTABLE BIAS'
Dr Morris says that this in 'unacceptable' and that biases can stop some women engaging with health care practitioners altogether.
He added: "Implicit racial bias from medical staff can hinder consultations and negatively influence treatment options";.
One woman, who has had eight miscarriages, said she experienced 'blatant racism' whilst being cared for.
Miscarriage Association trustee Natasha Necat said she feels as though she hasn't always been taken seriously.
She said one of the main problems is the lack of resources pumped into why black women face a higher risk.
Experts say when it comes to why this is the case -there are many possibilities.
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This includes that black and Asian women have higher rates of gestational diabetes and therefore could have higher blood sugar levels in early pregnancy.
It could also be down to the balance of bacteria in the vagina - which can vary between different ethnicities.
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