Identification of Histories of Pregnancy Termination, Particularly Early Miscarriage, in General Medical Records

Early miscarriage (EM) is defined as the spontaneous expulsion of an intrauterine pregnancy of less than 14 weeks' duration. Early miscarriage is a very common complication, affecting more than 10% of pregnancies. Because of its frequency, EM is often considered a trivial event, particularly by healthcare professionals.

However, for the women who experience it, EM can be a traumatic event, difficult to discuss with their families, and a source of worries and questions for subsequent pregnancies. The international literature is consistent on the psychological morbidity associated with miscarriage: anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder have been studied in women following CPT. The identification of a history of EM by doctors is therefore important for the overall management of women's health.

The 2021 National Perinatal Survey showed that less than 5% of pregnant women in France had their first six months of pregnancy monitored by a general practitioner, a proportion that has been steadily declining in recent years. The majority of women are monitored by a gynecologist, or in 40% of cases by a midwife. These professionals therefore appear to be the preferred point of contact for women in the event of a miscarriage. In the absence of specific information, either from the woman herself or from the healthcare professional who treated her, the general practitioner-the attending physician may remain unaware of this event in their patient's life. Under these circumstances, identifying a history of EM in the general practitioner's medical records may not be sufficient.