To Full Term

I don't know what it is like to loose a baby, but for many pregnant women, miscarriage is a sad and crushing reality. In my own small circle of friends, relatives, and neighbors, I know many who have lost a baby. In fact, more than two million American women miscarry every year with little understanding of what went wrong. A majority will continue to struggle with their doctor's explanation that miscarriages "just happen" and that there's no clear answer to the question, "Why?"

Last week I received a copy of the book To Full Term: A Mother's Triumph Over Miscarriage by Darci Klein. After one preterm birth and four lost children, including twins born at twenty weeks, Klein demanded a full range of diagnostic tests that identified the preventable causes of her losses. In her moving memoir, she details her journey to save her fifth pregnancy and in the process, reveals an imperfect medical system that offers little for women who miscarry.

Klein is an example of how someone can successfully take charge of their own healthcare. A professional researcher and statistician, Klein poured over countless medical studies—and their conflicting results—to better understand why an estimated 700,000 miscarriages due to treatable disorders are never diagnosed. We're with Klein as she relocates from San Francisco to Boston, tries to find a doctor who will immediately treat her Factor V Leiden (a clotting disorder) with heparin, and manages bedrest with the needs of her five-year-old daughter.

Klein is a passionate advocate for women who have suffered preventable loss. She's even started a thorough and comprehensive website PreventPregnancyLoss.org

Did you know that the National Institutes of Health tracks spending on over 200 conditions deemed significant to public health?  Miscarriage is not among the 200+ conditions deemed significant enough to track. The NIH allocates too few dollars toward research to prevent miscarriage.  In 2004, only $9.1 million was spent on research to prevent miscarriage and stillbirth, making pregnancy loss among of the lowest funded conditions.

If you've suffered a miscarriage yourself, or know someone who has, Klein's book and website are an invaluable resource. To Full Term is also a compelling and emotional memoir, with a heroine you'll be rooting for from the first page to the last.
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