Miscarriage Australia launch
In Australia, around 285 miscarriages occur every day – equivalent to one every five minutes – affecting over 100,000 couples a year. It often has significant psychological impacts on those affected, and for many, results in anxiety, depression and even post-traumatic stress disorder.
The new website is based on Miscarriage Australia research that found people want information and resources about miscarriage in the one place, informed by strong evidence and reputable experts and healthcare providers. The team used a human-centred design approach to work with key stakeholders including clinical advisors and consumers as well as expert website designers and developers. The website includes:
- Information about symptoms, frequency and causes of miscarriage, future pregnancy preparation
- Information around how to cope with grief, support for family, friends and healthcare providers, how to support those affected by miscarriage, and ways to memorialise loss
- A platform to showcase Miscarriage Australia research aimed at improving support for those affected.
Miscarriage Australia is a collaborative group of researchers and clinicians from Monash University, the University of Melbourne and Deakin University. Their research improves support for those affected by miscarriage. Led by Monash University’s Dr Jade Bilardi, from the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, and Professor Meredith Temple-Smith from the University of Melbourne’s Department of General Practice, the team has undertaken numerous studies over the past five years with women, male partners and health care professionals to examine miscarriage experiences and support needs.
An Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Research Award Fellowship awarded to Dr Bilardi in 2020 has largely funded the website development.