Miscarriages are one of Irish society's main taboos in an era where couples are choosing to have children later in life, Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald has said.
Ms Fitzgerald, who spoke about having had two miscarriages, said it has become an issue for an older demographic.
"A lot of people are having miscarriages at an older age because they want to have babies at an older age, so it is more stressful. Then they think: 'Am I going to get pregnant again?'" she said in an interview with the Irish Examiner.
“Younger generations of men and women have gotten into the mindset, and that is obviously linked to the availability of contraception, there is a belief that you can plan a pregnancy.
“Of course, first of all, there are fertility issues as you get older. Secondly, the fact is a lot of pregnancies end in miscarriage, there is a shock and disbelief for people.”
More than one in five pregnancies result in miscarriage. Ms Fitzgerald said the availability of contraception had impacted on people’s perceptions around having children.
Of her own experience she recalled the shock of being told by doctors but that going on to have subsequent successful pregnancies had helped her.
“For me, I went on to have a second and a third pregnancy afterward, so you can recover from it.
“And you can kind of accept, well there was something wrong and there is a reason for it.”
