Tommy's launches Tell Me Why campaign

A survey of 1,081 women who have lost a child during pregnancy or premature birth has found that 71% are not given a medical reason for why it happened. In the same survey 82% of parents said they blamed themselves and 77% felt guilty for what happened, even though for the vast majority their actions would not have changed the outcome.

The survey, conducted by national charity Tommy's, coincided with the launch on 9 September of Tell Me Why, a campaign calling for more funding into research into miscarriage, stillbirth and preterm birth. Tommy's believes that parents deserve to be told why their baby has died or has been born prematurely. As well as ending the cycle of self-blame and guilt, the charity believes that this will improve understanding of the biological processes at work and tackle the common myth that baby loss or preterm birth cannot be prevented.

Jane Brewin, Tommy's Chief Executive, says: "When a baby dies during pregnancy or is born too soon, parents are often told that it's 'just one of those things'. Tommy's believes that pregnancy complications and baby loss are neither inevitable nor acceptable. Our research proves that we can find answers and prevent babies from dying before, during and after birth. However, we need more funding for more research into reproductive health to tell all parents why it is happening and how we can prevent it happening again."

The campaign has been part-funded by the Wellcome Trust to improve public understanding of the role of research in investigating reproductive complications to improve knowledge.