Mourning after Perinatal Death-Prevalence of Symptoms and Treatment; A Narrative Review

Perinatal loss, especially in the advanced stages of pregnancy, is associated with severe psychological distress. Insufficient processing of the loss experience can result in a psychological disorder for some of those affected. This holds true especially for women who have suffered a pregnancy loss after the 20th week of pregnancy. Depressive disorders, symptoms of anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorders, and functional physical complaints can also be observed in the foreground. Following an evaluation of a current Cochrane review, the available studies on the evaluation of psychotherapeutic measures after perinatal loss provide no conclusive indicators for evidence-based approaches within the realm of secondary prevention. Health risks in women affected by the loss of a pregnancy have been alternatively proven by a number of studies. Thus, a noticeable desideratum of research exists with regards to empirically-controlled psychotherapeutic studies on evaluation of the treatment of grief reactions after the loss of a pregnancy.