“Worse Than Desolate”: Maternal Grief After Loss of an Unborn Child

Results from brain imaging studies have suggested that physical and social pain activate overlapping networks involving the insula, regions of the anterior cingulate and frontal cortex, and the thalamus, in addition to having distinct areas of activation. In the first study ever of acute grief following the loss of a late-term pregnancy due to fetal anomaly — a stressor universally associated with deep anguish — investigators performed functional MRI in 24 women; 12 women had undergone pregnancy terminations in the previous 2 months because of fetal abnormalities, and 12 postpartum women had delivered healthy babies within the previous 12 months.

Bereaved women had higher baseline ratings of depression and anxiety. All participants were free…