Pregnancy Loss & Support

Pregnancy loss is rarely anticipated, and often devastating, whether it is a first pregnancy, or a later pregnancy with children in the home. Sometimes there is an identifiable cause. More often, however, no cause is identified, which can be very frustrating because there is nothing “to fix” to increase the chances of success in the next pregnancy.

Families need support during this time, from many different sources. Often, other family members and friends do not know what to say, so sometimes they say nothing at all. Other times, they may say things like “You can try again” or “You have one healthy child at home: why are you so sad?”, which is an attempt at being supportive but may come across as insensitive. Sometimes the healthcare system is fragmented, especially if the loss is early, and a primary OB care provider has not yet been identified because care has been limited to the acute setting.

View and download a resource list and see below.

We are committed to helping you through your pregnancy loss

Recently we established the Pregnancy Loss Work Group, an interdisciplinary team which works together to help support you during this difficult time.
Also available to you is an Early Pregnancy Loss webinar featuring our UCSF faculty experts.

First & Second Trimester Loss Support Group

This group is designed for individuals who have experienced a first or second trimester pregnancy loss (up to 24 weeks) and meets via ZOOM every other Friday at noon.
Facilitated by Lauri Pasch, PhD,psychologist at the Center for Reproductive Health and by Patricia Robertson, MD, UCSF obstetrician at UCSF Obstetrics and Gynecology Mission Bay, who specializes in high risk pregnancies. The group starts and ends with a mindfulness practice, and education and support are provided. For part of the group, the participants are placed into breakout rooms to talk with someone else who has also had a loss, to know they are not alone. You can decide how much to share, or just listen.

Meets every other Friday | Register for our sessions

Register in advance through the UCSF Women’s Health Resource Center member portal or call (415) 514-2670.
No cost to attend

Ending a Wanted Pregnancy Support Group

UCSF also offers a support group for individuals who have ended a wanted pregnancy following an abnormal prenatal diagnosis. This group currently meets via Zoom on the first Wednesday of each month from 7:00-8:30pm
To learn more about this group or request information on registering for meetings, contact Summer Segal PhD (grief counselor and perinatal palliative care coordinator) at (415) 476-4674 or [email protected]
No cost to attend

UCSF Resources

UCSF ZOOM Support/Education: A group for women with first & second trimester pregnancy loss in the past year. The sessions are held every 2 weeks with obstetrician Patricia Robertson, MD and psychologist Lauri Pasch, PhD. Register at [email protected] or call (415) 514-2670. No cost and registration is required. Contact us to register
Webinar "Early Pregnancy Loss (Miscarriage): Causes, Management and Next Steps". Recorded on 8/18/20 webinar.
UCSF Spiritual Care: (415) 476-9720 (24/7)
Join us at our yearly event, held in early October. An opportunity for us to gather as a community (online) and honor our babies. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you at the virtual event, 2022 Service of Remembrance Planning Committee

Attend a group session

Early Pregnancy Loss (Miscarriage): Causes, Management and Next Steps

This recording is part of our 'Zooming through Pregnancy to Parenthood' webinar series.
Presented by Dr. Karen Meckstroth (OB/GYN and Director of the Women’s Options Clinic), Dr. Heather Huddleston (Reproductive Endocrinologist and Infertility Specialist and Director of PCOS Clinic), Melissa Whippo, LCSW.
Moderated by: Laura Weil, CNM, MPH

Select link for the 8/18/20 recording.

HOPE Research Studies

We are recruiting couples for a study to find answers about recurrent pregnancy loss.

Participants will be asked to take surveys and provide DNA samples for research.
You can help us find answers about miscarriages.

Hope Study 1-downloadable pdf
Hope Study 2-downloadable pdf

Learn more contact pregnancyloss.ucsf.edu.

Additional Resources

A Heartbreaking Choice: http://www.aheartbreakingchoice.com/
Because Your Miscarriage Matters: http://www.mymiscarriagematters.org
Center for Loss in Multiple Birth (CLIMB): https://www.climb-support.org/
Early Pregnancy Loss FAQs: https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/early-pregnancy-loss
Faces of Loss, Faces of Hope: http://facesofloss.com
Facts about Miscarriage, Information, Hope and Healing: http://pregnancyloss.info
Glow in the Woods: http://www.glowinthewoods.com/
Grieve Out Loud http://www.grieveoutloud.org
Grieving Dads Project: https://grievingdads.com/
Hand for the Bay Area: https://handsupport.org/
Hygeia Foundation and Institute for Perinatal Loss: https://www.drberman.org/hygeiafoundation/
Pregnancy Loss: How to Cope: Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pregnancy-loss-miscarriage/in-depth/pregnancy-loss/art-20047983
Postpartum Support International: https://www.postpartum.net/get-help/loss-grief-in-pregnancy-postpartum/
Return to Zero: H.O.P.E.: https://rtzhope.org/
Share Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support: http://nationalshare.org/
Spirit Babies Ceremony https://www.spiritbabies.org
Suicide Prevention: (415) 781-0500
Westside Crisis Center: (415) 355-0311, http://www.westside-health.org/programs/crisis-clinic

These resources were compiled by the UCSF Perinatal Loss Workgroup and reflect approved resources as of 4/2021.

Complete resource list

Know that we are here to help you

If you are experiencing excessive bleeding or other complications, please call your provider or go to the nearest emergency room if the condition is life-threatening.
Please contact us at (415) 353-02566 if you would like to establish Ob/Gyn care at UCSF.

We have a team of nurse midwives, nurse practitioners, obstetrician-gynecologists, and high risk obstetricians who provide care at UCSF. You might consider seeing our reproductive endocrinologists at (415) 353-7475, to discuss recurrent pregnancy loss if you have had more than one miscarriage.