Elisabeth Borne announced the lifting of the waiting days in the event of a miscarriage on Wednesday. The system must enter into force no later than January 1, 2024.
Elisabeth Borne announced on Wednesday March 1 the lifting of waiting days during sick leave in the event of a miscarriage. For Israel Nisand, former president of the National College of French Gynecologists and Obstetricians, professor emeritus of obstetrics gynecology, this device, which must come into force no later than January 1, 2024, is “a very good idea”. It’s not “a banal sick leave”underlines Israel Nisand on franceinfo. “You have to compare this to a somewhat special mourning for a child that no one has known”explains the obstetrician.
franceinfo: Can this sick leave help women overcome their trauma?
Israel Nisand: It’s a very good idea. Because the miscarriage combines at the same time a physiological problem difficult to manage, but also a very great psychological disappointment. And besides the fact that women sometimes bleed a lot and are in pain, their depression at the time the miscarriage occurs is such that often they cannot take work and they need a time out. I think it’s a very good idea to make sure that it’s not like a banal sick leave and that it doesn’t put a strain on their budget.
Why isn’t society talking more about miscarriages?
Women don’t talk because, wrongly, they often feel guilty, they are ashamed, they wonder what they have done to deserve this. It is also part of their intimacy not to be obliged to reveal to everyone what is happening to them.
“The disappointment is often so great that women want to keep this event in their lives a secret and I understand that.”
Israel Nisand, obstetricianat franceinfo
To fully understand, we must compare this to bereavement. But a somewhat special bereavement, the bereavement of a child that no one has known, but that the woman had already invested on the psychic level and sometimes her companion as well. For us, obstetrician-gynecologists, this is part of what is called perinatal bereavement, with its particular complexity which is the bereavement of someone that no one else has known. So it’s quite difficult to live.
Is there a psychological follow-up after the miscarriage?
Counseling is useful for many women. Some don’t ask for it, others don’t ask for it but need it. And it’s up to the doctor to see if a woman can manage her grief on her own or if she needs help.
Is France lagging behind other countries?
In terms of psychological support for women and perinatal bereavement, yes. The acts of psychologists are not recognized by Social Security and are therefore not reimbursed. So a hospital that hires psychologists does so by increasing its expense line without increasing its revenue line.
“We have quite a few psychologists in hospitals. And if we don’t implement psychological work after such an event, it is often to the detriment of the woman.”
Israel Nisand, obstetricianat franceinfo
It would be a good thing, at the same time as we remove these waiting days, that we allow women to have psychological follow-up in perinatal bereavement.