Most women facing perinatal loss in Ukraine receive no hospital counselling, survey shows

Ukraine lacks a unified approach to supporting families who experience the loss of a child during pregnancy, childbirth or shortly after birth, the study Miscarriages, Stillbirths and Neonatal Deaths: The Experience of Families in Ukrainian Healthcare Facilities, conducted by the non-governmental organisation Safe Birth between March and May 2026, has found. More than 65% of surveyed women had no contact with their deceased child, nearly 80% were not offered psychological support, and some respondents encountered the dismissal of their grief and restrictions on making decisions about their own bodies.

Photo credit: Fadime Demirtaş / Pexels

Researchers surveyed 516 women who experienced perinatal loss between 2021 and 2026, as well as 308 healthcare workers. In addition, they conducted in-depth interviews with women and specialists working with such cases.

The authors define perinatal loss as the death of a child at any stage of pregnancy, during labour or shortly after birth. At the same time, they noted that the survey results cannot be generalised to all women in Ukraine who have had such an experience, as participation was voluntary and the sample is not representative.

One of the main problems identified was the absence of clear guidelines governing how medical facilities should support parents after a loss. As a result, the opportunity to receive psychological assistance, say goodbye to a child or learn about next steps often depends on the specific hospital and its staff.

For example, 65.7% of surveyed women had no contact with their child after death. A further 71% noted that medical staff did not explain the option to see their child, say goodbye or create keepsakes.

Even when women were offered the chance to see their deceased child, this often occurred merely for the formal confirmation of a stillbirth. Yet almost two-thirds of respondents, reflecting on their experience, said they would have liked to spend more time with their baby.

In the study, women recounted regretting not having had the opportunity to hold their child, take photographs or keep mementoes. Some did not know they could ask for this, while others did not receive the support they needed during a time of intense stress.

The authors of the study emphasised that medical staff should explain available options for saying goodbye and help fulfil parents’ wishes. At the same time, parents themselves should make the decision on whether to see the deceased child and spend time with them.

Another problem identified was the lack of psychological support. According to the survey, 78.2% of women in hospitals were not offered a consultation with a psychologist or psychotherapist. Among those not offered such help, 63.6% needed it at that exact moment.

After discharge, some women had to seek out specialists on their own. Overall, 41.9% of respondents sought professional psychological support after returning home.

Researchers also examined how medical personnel break the news of a child’s death. Nearly one in five surveyed women (19.5%) described this communication as traumatic, 18.3% felt their feelings were dismissed, and 6.4% felt blamed by medical staff.

The difficulties were not confined to hospital stays. More than half of the respondents (57.6%) faced misunderstanding or the dismissal of their grief from people around them. In addition, 54.5% said close relatives avoided talking about the deceased baby, and 46.8% felt expected to forget what had happened as quickly as possible and return to normal life.

According to the researchers, such attitudes can deepen parents’ isolation by invalidating not only their pain but also the child’s very existence and their experience of parenthood.

The study also revealed problems with respecting women’s rights to make decisions about their own bodies. Only 29.4% of respondents felt fully or partially able to influence the course of labour and medical interventions during their loss. By contrast, 46.5% felt little or no such influence.

Furthermore, 35.7% of women did not feel they could refuse a proposed procedure or choose an alternative method of care, and 28.8% were unaware that they could do so.

Almost a third of respondents (28.7%) received none of the forms of informational support asked about upon discharge. This included explanations of subsequent medical steps, options for psychological support and information regarding the child’s burial.

The authors drew particular attention to legal uncertainty in cases of pregnancy loss before 22 weeks. They concluded that Ukrainian legislation does not provide a clear procedure for handing over the child’s body or remains to parents for burial or cremation at such gestations. Consequently, some families wishing to bury their child were refused.

Surveyed healthcare professionals also identified the lack of unified standards. In all, 76.7% of surveyed healthcare workers identified it as a major obstacle in managing perinatal loss, and 80.5% supported introducing national care standards.

A further 56.6% of healthcare staff noted that they lacked specialised training, while 44.3% reported needing psychological support of their own.

The authors of the study recommend developing a single national standard for supporting families after perinatal loss. It should define how medical staff break the news of a child’s death, organise psychological support, inform parents of their rights, and assist with farewells and burials.

In addition, researchers suggest establishing separate hospital rooms for women experiencing loss so they are not placed alongside new mothers and newborns, as well as providing post-discharge support for families.

Related: Maternal mortality in Ukraine has increased by 37% during the war of Russians – UNFPA

In August 2025, Ukraine’s Ministry of Health approved methodological recommendations on maternal and child mental health care during the perinatal and postnatal periods. However, the authors of the new study point to the need for a separate, comprehensive standard of care for families after the loss of a child.

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