she s also co chair of the royal college of obstetricians and gynaecologists race equality task force. unfortunately, black women have a number of factors associated with the risk of miscarriage overrepresented, so for example, they are more likely to have a number of conditions that puts them at greater risk of miscarriage, but really, on a more significant level, what we hear time and time again is that black women never feel heard in this space. without addressing the institutional racism where it exists, we will never be able to truly say that all women receive the care that they so deserve. back in coventry, professor quenby runs the recurrent miscarriage clinic at university hospital. a lot of the patients are understandably very anxious because of their previous pregnancy losses. she s also a leading researcher in this field, which is notoriously underfunded. she s currently trying to raise money to investigate some of the many unknowns around why black women
i never even made it back to that ultrasound because i miscarried at home. all four women described numerous occasions when they didn t feel their concerns were taken seriously by clinicians. i just don t think we re being listened to and heard in the spaces. do you think it is about the colour of your skin? all: absolutely. it really is a struggle all around when it comes to our maternal care. i ve come to queen charlotte s and chelsea hospital here in west london, which sees many black and ethnic minority patients, to try and get a better understanding of why black women are at higher risk of having a miscarriage, whether they have underlying health conditions or not, and no matter what their social, economic or educational background. why does a women s skin colour affect her chances of having a healthy baby? dr ekechi runs the early pregnancy unit here.
is people wanted to - dismiss it, you know. thank you so much. for raul, liam, matt and all those speaking out, the aim is to help others who might be secretly struggling. many people choose not to talk about their losses, but it s about having the opportunity to if and when needed. what s the worst that can happen? we can t make anyone feel worse about what they ve gone through, but actually, we can make a lot of people feel a little bit more at ease. yes, baby loss doesn t discriminant, doesn t care what colour you are, how much you earn, how old you are, it touches everyone on every continent. all the dads we ve spoken to have gone on to have healthy babies, and they all say speaking out has helped them to move forward. it s not the case for everyone, but most people who suffer a miscarriage will go on to have a healthy pregnancy. sadly, though, the more miscarriages you have, the more likely you are to have another loss. i am on another
but after my losses, it struck me, given how physically and mentally painful miscarriage can be, why are we not talking about it more? why do we not know more about what happens? my name is professor siobhan quenby. my name is natasha necati. i ve spent the last few months looking into how pregnancy loss impacts families all around the world and how they can be better supported, why the colour of our skin can affect our chances of having a healthy pregnancy. i just do t think we re being listened to and heard in the spaces. do you think it is about the colour of your skin? all: absolutely. and heard from one group often left out of the conversation. my wife was near to death. i had a cry sitting on the toilet, because that was the only time i could get to be alone.
miscarriage five months into her pregnancy and went through the traumatic experience of giving birth to her son, henry. i believe it changed my whole outlook in life. this person i was when i went into the hospital isn t the same person that walked back out. i got diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. data on miscarriage and its impact is vague, as losses are not officially counted in most countries, and it s still seen as taboo in many parts of the world, so millions of women end up suffering in silence. translation: i was very scared. one miscarriage is ok but then second, third and after the last one i lost all hope. i couldn t sleep. i would lay awake and pray to allah to make everything ok. i had lost something that i wanted really badly, so i remember one night it was raining outside and i wasjust in my bedroom, and then the rainjust started coming and then from nowhere i started crying, and i cried and i cried.