tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30651776.post645819813648966660..comments2023-09-27T07:39:16.834-04:00Comments on No Matter How Small: Yes, about those numbers....Aureliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13691032415028867902noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30651776.post-64804500758042971912007-04-08T17:32:00.000-04:002007-04-08T17:32:00.000-04:00Fascinating.Fascinating.Magpiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15460136246441367993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30651776.post-12042300935915128192007-04-08T02:47:00.000-04:002007-04-08T02:47:00.000-04:00Your post also brought up another issue for me. I ...Your post also brought up another issue for me. I often wonder why it is that the vast majority of society is quick to apply significant emotional support to parents who lose and bury a child but dismiss the loss of a much sought after baby in the fragile early months as though if there was no actual birth certificate the baby-to-be didn't "count." Loss is loss and grief is grief in my book. There's no way to qualify it or apply a weighting over who is suffering more or less.Pamela T.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11474998003921896431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30651776.post-11644609900087849822007-04-07T18:38:00.000-04:002007-04-07T18:38:00.000-04:00I know that public health agencies in Wisconsin ge...I know that public health agencies in Wisconsin get the names from clinics of people who are identified with a STD and that they are questioned about partners so that they can be treated. Prevention is a primary role for Public Health. <BR/><BR/>Thanks Aurelia about the definition of miscarriage, live birth and stillborn...all of which I think should be tracked if it isn't...and I can find out if it is here in Wisconsin pretty easily.Doughnuthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00100398955132921465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30651776.post-77723245737124509122007-04-07T14:20:00.000-04:002007-04-07T14:20:00.000-04:00Thoroughly enjoying the discussion between you and...Thoroughly enjoying the discussion between you and Casey. Geese, I do love stats.Nicolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01904286943340898221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30651776.post-89746442409525000862007-04-07T13:36:00.000-04:002007-04-07T13:36:00.000-04:00Dammit, Aurelia! I had plans for today. Plans th...Dammit, Aurelia! I had plans for today. Plans that included wasting time on my couch with nachos and SpongeBob. Now, I feel compelled to research partner notification and contact tracing policies in the US. (I'm pretty sure it varies by state.)<BR/><BR/>I'll let you know if I find anything interesting.Caseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16513928061453431024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30651776.post-2359495867776956072007-04-07T13:35:00.000-04:002007-04-07T13:35:00.000-04:00It seems an independent body has been set up in th...It seems an independent body has been set up in the UK to track perinatal health and maternal health, but it does not look at miscarriage stats:<BR/>http://www.cemach.org.uk/Thaliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12125639207843989848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30651776.post-73099112033178950852007-04-07T13:29:00.000-04:002007-04-07T13:29:00.000-04:00I'm with you, Aurelia, of course all public health...I'm with you, Aurelia, of course all public health information needs to be tracked. I'm not sure what the situation is in the UK but I get the impression this stuff is tracked fairly carefully by the NHS. I will check.Thaliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12125639207843989848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30651776.post-83860453454554452042007-04-07T12:21:00.000-04:002007-04-07T12:21:00.000-04:00The gathering of accurate statistics on all sorts ...The gathering of accurate statistics on all sorts of infant loss is a little sketchy, even in the US. There is also the lack of protocol. I have been questioning the data I have seen of micropreemie survival rates. There are no good large scale studies, and most of them are skewed to the "success" rates of hospitals with very sophisticated NICU's which is hardly representative. I also once asked someone who is well versed in these studies, if the stats for micropreemies include babies like mine where resuscitation was never even attempted- a "delivery room death" as it is generally called in preemie literature. She said its questionable. She said some are, some aren't. So that right there is completely skewing the numbers making the survival rates higher than they probably really are.<BR/><BR/>Anyway... I hear you, and I'll save my soapbox speech for my own space. But you go girl!!Lorihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05528541804521203406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30651776.post-22742547504259976582007-04-07T11:34:00.000-04:002007-04-07T11:34:00.000-04:00Thanks for the comment on my blog. I live in Burl...Thanks for the comment on my blog. I live in Burlington, so TO is bit of a drive for chiro but if you know anyone in Halton I would happily take that name. And hey, if this gets worse as time goes on, a 50 minute drive might not seem like such a big deal anymore!<BR/><BR/>I had no idea that our recording of still birth/pregnancy loss is so messed up. There is so much that our government could be doing to help with this issue and infertility. I will be following your blog closely, I love challenging the political process.Kristahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16771351540802344987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30651776.post-90056166797506294952007-04-07T10:26:00.000-04:002007-04-07T10:26:00.000-04:00Ahhhh, things really are different then. Here, nam...Ahhhh, things really are different then. Here, names are reported to Public Health, and people are interviewed asking for names of partners so the spread can be prevented.<BR/><BR/>For other things like cancer tumours, again names, pathologies, etc...are all reported to agencies like Cancer Care Ontario to track environmental contaminants, treatments, etc etc. <BR/><BR/>But again, as soon as the pertinent medical info is gathered names are disconnected completely, deleted under pain of criminal prosecution, so that we can use the info for prevention research and health planning purposes.<BR/><BR/>And like I said, you guys in the US DO monitor individual pregnancies, for billing purposes. As we do for OHIP, I just want the researchers to treat pregnancy like any other health event, a normal part of life, y'know? Not some special weird secret thing.<BR/><BR/>(Now I love the word "squick" hehe)Aureliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13691032415028867902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30651776.post-58658119475325082062007-04-07T10:13:00.000-04:002007-04-07T10:13:00.000-04:00Well, STD reporting is a little different than wha...Well, STD reporting is a little different than what you're proposing. We track incidence, meaning physicians report the number of chlamydia diagnoses they made in a certain time period. You're suggesting monitoring individual pregnancies, which would require some kind of identification system. That's what squicks me out. Kind of like Big Brother is watching. . .your underwear.<BR/><BR/>Of course, reproductive health is a whole different ballgame in the US, from what I can tell. So, you know, we're a little leery this side of the border.<BR/><BR/>(Also, I totally hear you on the funding issue. I work in prevention research. Without saying anything to jeopardize my job, I'll just say that the priorities of the US government never cease to amaze me.)Caseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16513928061453431024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30651776.post-80786046780413834402007-04-07T10:00:00.000-04:002007-04-07T10:00:00.000-04:00Sorry Casey, I always forget the paranoia from US ...Sorry Casey, I always forget the paranoia from US readers! I don't ever have to worry about that here, so it becomes kind of pointless.<BR/><BR/>Plus from a government funding perspective, we already pay for hcg tests, and track pregnancies with a special program used for health records. They just never get to research hands.<BR/><BR/>As for the "national crotch watch" (funny joke, btw!) you already have that in the US and we do too. STDs are tracked for public health as reportable illnesses, as are many other things. Plus your insurance/medicare tracks it all for payment.<BR/><BR/>I do know what you mean though, *sigh* I hate having to feel "on alert". It's just that every damn time I try to show it's an issue, and can't produce accurate numbers, politicians blow me off...I don't know what else to do.Aureliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13691032415028867902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30651776.post-31975874744427293152007-04-07T09:43:00.000-04:002007-04-07T09:43:00.000-04:00In my ideal world, public health and agencies like...<I>In my ideal world, public health and agencies like StatsCan record every positive beta, track the course of every pregnancy and every outcome.</I><BR/><BR/>Eee. Maybe I'm just speaking from my US perspective, but this squicks me out immensely. I don't like the idea of a national crotch watch.<BR/><BR/>I understand that there's a need for better data on early pregnancy loss, but I don't think surveillance data is either necessary or sufficient for understanding the etiology or potential prevention methods for miscarriage. For gaining funding? Maybe, but there are other ways to build a solid case for funding needs than requiring every woman's uterus to undergo governmental scrutiny.<BR/><BR/>You have to understand, this kind of legislation has been proposed in a couple states in the US and it was ALWAYS a cover for shaming women seeking elective abortion.Caseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16513928061453431024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30651776.post-39603495302503160262007-04-07T09:26:00.000-04:002007-04-07T09:26:00.000-04:00Leroy, A live birth is a baby born at any gestatio...Leroy, <BR/><BR/>A live birth is a baby born at any gestation, that takes even one breath, or moves voluntarily, at any gestation, and yes, it can happen as early as 16 weeks according to nurses and Docs I've spoken too, who have witnessed it. The baby would of course at that gestation die immediately, but it would still be a live birth then death and recorded as a neonatal death.<BR/>A baby born dead or delivered dead by surgical means below 20 weeks, or 500 grams weight is a miscarriage, and above that "line in the sand" is a stillbirth. <BR/><BR/>It was picked about 100 years ago in various jurisdictions based on the traditional concept of "quickening", the moment when a babies movements could be seen from outside the mother's body.<BR/><BR/>And Sara, thank you for that...you are probably right, but I'm hoping they were a shy lurker trying to be helpful. It's Easter, gotta try, right? *Sigh*Aureliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13691032415028867902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30651776.post-45280189898730080712007-04-07T07:35:00.000-04:002007-04-07T07:35:00.000-04:00Woah. That is frustrating. Abhorrent, actually. Go...Woah. That is frustrating. Abhorrent, actually. Goodness knows it was hard to sign the paperwork after Natan died, but the social worker at the hospital made it as easy as possible under the circumstances. I would certainly have rather gone through that bureaucratic misery than to think his death wouldn't even be recorded - that statistical data wouldn't even exist.<BR/><BR/>About the "anonymous" poster. You won't say it but I will. It was rude to make an attempt to contradict you without a comment.Sarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03887313952590843057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30651776.post-26086773127038829792007-04-07T05:14:00.000-04:002007-04-07T05:14:00.000-04:00I agree with you that all the information should b...I agree with you that all the information should be recorded for statistical purposes so that trends can be observed and prevention/treatment activities can be planned. From a purely definitional point of view, how is a miscarriage differentiated from a stillbirth or is it? I am guessing it has something to do with the gestation period but not sure. Thanks!Doughnuthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00100398955132921465noreply@blogger.com