One in four women will experience miscarriage in Australia.
For many women, miscarriage brings physical changes that are rarely explained or acknowledged.
Trigger Warning
This project contains information about pregnancy loss, including physical symptoms and personal reflections. Some people may find this content distressing.
If you need support, a list of services is available at the bottom of each page.
These stories and expert insights are shared to open conversations about the physical impacts of pregnancy loss. They are not a substitute for medical advice. For personalised care, please seek guidance from your GP or a qualified health professional.
Real stories shared about miscarriage.
The dandelion holds more than meets the eye, its strength is in the way it adapts, transforms, and carries on. It’s strong, persistent, and grows through concrete. When the wind comes, it doesn’t break, it changes form and carries on.
We chose the dandelion because it reflects what this project stands for: strength that isn’t always visible, and changes in the body that deserve to be named. Pregnancy loss leaves physical traces, shifts in skin, joints, hormones and hair. They’re rarely explained, often dismissed, but they are real.
The dandelion also spreads its seeds by letting go, and in doing so, it begins something new. When women know what’s happening to their bodies, they can face it with clarity, not confusion.
Knowledge, like the dandelion, spreads and when it does, it changes everything.
WHEN is a women’s health organisation working to educate all women across Australia to give them the power to make decisions to live and age well through exercise and movement.
Want to sign up to WHEN?
When we went looking for research, we found almost nothing. The physical changes that follow pregnancy loss, the shifts in skin, joints, hormones, hair, breasts, bowels and more are largely undocumented. This silence sends a clear message: that these changes don’t matter. That women’s bodies aren’t worth understanding. They do matter. Not knowing what’s happening can add to the distress.
We looked from head to toe, because these changes aren’t just internal. They show up everywhere, and women deserve to understand what’s happening to their bodies.
To fill this gap, more than 40 health professionals and academics volunteered their time to help us document what the evidence doesn’t yet cover. Their insights, paired with women’s lived experiences, form the backbone of this project.
This project aims to change that. It’s not about listing every symptom. It’s about making space for the physical reality of pregnancy loss, to name it, explain it, and validate it. When women understand what’s happening to their bodies, they can move forward with more clarity and less fear.
We hope this project offers something honest, practical and human. Shaped by clinical review, lived experience, and a commitment to saying the things that should never have been left unsaid.
This project was created with the generous support of more than 40 health professionals, academics, and contributors with lived experience.
We want to thank:
Thanks to this collective effort, we’re able to provide clear, accessible information to women about what happens to their bodies after pregnancy loss, something that should have existed long before now.
Below are the individuals who contributed to the project across research, review, and lived experience.
This flyer is designed for you to download and print for your clinic, waiting room, or practice.
By displaying it, you’ll be giving women and families easy access to clear, practical information at a time when it’s often hard to find.
Alexandra O’Farrell
Ashleigh Foy
Bonnie Mohan
Catherine Voutier
Celia Bolton
Cheryl Burgess
Chloe Zoel
Chrissy Tadros
Dr Amy O’Brien
Dr Anna Bamford
Dr Annika Wilson
Dr Bao Nguyen
Dr Catriona Melville
Dr Daniel Bonanno
Dr Densearn Seo
Dr Dinithi Samarawickrama
Dr Elizabeth Elliot
Dr Emily Price
Dr Fiona Tann
Dr Jana Pittman
Dr Lorraine Walker
Dr Nicole Cunningham
Dr Rhea Psersekis
Dr Samantha Wyton
Dr Shan Bergin Podiatrist
Dr Stephanie Galibert
Dr Tamara Hunter
Dr Tanya Cates
Dr Ureni Halahakone
Dr Vinicius Vialle Ferreira
Emma Grigson
Emma Rayner
Emma Wills
Erin Braithwaite
Frances Bilbao
Hannah Geelan
Heidi Hofler
Imogen Campbell
Janis Harse
Jessie Stephens
Jyothsna Rao
Kate Fowler
Katie Ennis
Kim Lecuyer
Kristina Fox
Lesli Burns
Libby Tearne
Madeleine Murray
Maria Bond
Melanie Gentgall
Meredith Eberle
Mia Benzie-Drayton
Naomi Clark
Peta Titter
Peter Boyle
Renee White
Stephanie Rixon
Tracy Snow
Viral Gandhi
Inclusivity Statement
At WHEN, our focus is on the physical impacts of pregnancy loss. Current research in this area is almost entirely based on women, which is why we use that term for clarity. We also acknowledge that not everyone who experiences miscarriage identifies as a woman, and our content is intended for all people assigned female at birth who share these experiences.
Pregnancy loss can be physically and emotionally overwhelming. If you or someone you know needs support, you’re not alone, and help is available.
In urgent situations:
Support services in Australia:
There are many incredible charities and organisations dedicated to supporting people through pregnancy loss. We’re not here to replace them, we’re here to complement their work. Our role is to help women understand the physical changes in their bodies. When more support is needed, we refer to those already doing this work:
Support is here. You don’t have to do this alone.
