Special clinic based on Tommy’s model shows success in reducing pregnancy complications and baby loss

New research shows the successful Tommy’s pregnancy after loss clinic model, founded in Manchester, can reduce pregnancy complications and baby loss elsewhere too.
Picture of man and pregnant woman at Tommy's clinic in Manchester.

Research from the Rainbow Clinic at Birmingham Women’s Hospital found that women and birthing people attending the clinic had a reduced risk of stillbirth, second trimester loss (one that happens after 13 weeks and before 24 weeks of pregnancy) and birth before 32 weeks of pregnancy.

For parents whose babies have been stillborn or died shortly after birth, a subsequent pregnancy can be very daunting. There is a higher risk of pregnancy complications and these parents often need extra support throughout their pregnancy.

Rainbow Clinics provide specialist maternity care for women and birthing people who are pregnant again following a previous stillbirth or death of their baby. The first was established in 2013 by one of Tommy’s research experts, Professor Alex Heazell, at St Mary’s Hospital in Manchester. The clinic in Manchester has previously shown that attendance at the clinic reduced the likelihood of pregnancy complications and decreased parents’ anxiety levels during pregnancy after a loss. You can read the stories of Jess and Claire, two of many who have been directly supported by the Manchester clinic. 

There are now 28 active Rainbow Clinics that have replicated this model of care. And the Birmingham clinic is the first of these clinics outside Manchester to show the benefits of this care model can be replicated elsewhere.

 In the study, involving 151 women and birthing people, 1 in every 50 attending the Rainbow Clinic had a stillbirth or second trimester loss. For those not attending the clinic, the likelihood of having a stillbirth or second trimester loss was 4 in every 50 women and birthing people.

Infographic to show the difference in likelihood of stillbirth or second trimester loss between those attending the Rainbow Clinic and those not.

The research also found a reduced likelihood of very preterm birth (between 28 and 32 weeks) or extremely preterm birth (before 28 weeks) in those attending the Rainbow Clinic. 1 in every 50 women and birthing people attending the clinic gave birth before 32 weeks of pregnancy whereas 11 in every 50 women and birthing people not attending the clinic gave birth before 32 weeks. 

Infographic to show the difference in likelihood of giving birth before 32 weeks of pregnancy between those attending the Rainbow Clinic and those not.

Giving birth prematurely (before 37 weeks of pregnancy) can make babies’ very vulnerable and parents may endure agonising months in hospital, unsure of their baby’s future. While most premature babies survive, complications related to premature birth remain the leading cause of death in children under the age of 5. And for those that do survive, there is a chance of permanent disability and long-term health problems, creating lifelong challenges.

It’s therefore so important that we collect data from these clinics so that we have evidence of how well they improve outcomes for women, birthing people and their babies. 

The data from Birmingham is really promising but only shows the impact of one of the Rainbow Clinics. This is why we are funding the Tommy’s National Rainbow Clinic study, looking at the impact of these clinics across the country. 

Our researchers not only want to understand how these clinics improve outcomes for women, birthing people and their babies on a larger scale, but also want to know the psychological impact the clinics have on parents going through pregnancy after loss. This will be vital in influencing other maternity units around the country to set up their own clinics so we can continue saving babies lives’. 

Find out more about The Tommy’s National Rainbow Clinic Study.