The mental health impact of perinatal loss: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Given that pregnancy loss roughly doubles the risk of a depressive disorder, could we set a check-in a couple of months out rather than leaving it to me to call if things get bad?
Well-supported by good-quality research. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: The control groups were not uniform — they mixed live births, difficult live births, and non-pregnant community samples — and "perinatal loss" spans early miscarriage through stillbirth, so the pooled risk ratios blur real differences between very different experiences.
Twenty-nine controlled studies from 17 countries — 31,072 women who experienced perinatal loss compared with 1,261,517 women who did not — found roughly double the risk of a depressive disorder after loss (RR 2.14, 95% CI 1.73-2.66) and about 75% higher risk of an anxiety disorder (RR 1.75, 95% CI 1.27-2.42). The three studies reporting post-traumatic stress outcomes showed no significant pooled effect, so that part of the picture rests on the individual cohorts rather than on this analysis.
Worth asking
Given that pregnancy loss roughly doubles the risk of a depressive disorder, could we set a check-in a couple of months out rather than leaving it to me to call if things get bad?
What to watch for
Evidence quality tells you whether to trust the finding — not whether the treatment is safe. These are the risks this research reports.
- Fertility & pregnancy risk
Source
The mental health impact of perinatal loss: A systematic review and meta-analysis. — Herbert D, Young K, Pietrusińska M, MacBeth A. (2022)
Reputable peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.10.026
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.10.026
How this was scored
- Study design
- Systematic review of observational studies
- Funding
- Independently funded
- Published in
- Reputable peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- 31,072
- Preregistered
- No
- Conflicts disclosed
- No
- Independent of proponent
- Yes
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 19, 2026.
Where we put this study in context
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "strong evidence". Well-supported by good-quality research. It scores 76 out of 100 on our published rubric. One caveat travels with that badge: The control groups were not uniform — they mixed live births, difficult live births, and non-pregnant community samples — and "perinatal loss" spans early miscarriage through stillbirth, so the pooled risk ratios blur real differences between very different experiences. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
The mental health impact of perinatal loss: A systematic review and meta-analysis. — Herbert D, Young K, Pietrusińska M, MacBeth A. (2022). Published in: Reputable peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.10.026. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Systematic review of observational studies. Funding: Independently funded. The researchers were independent of whoever benefits from the result. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.