A major international conference focusing on perinatal loss was hosted by Sands in Birmingham this autumn.

The 3rd Annual Conference of the International Stillbirth Alliance - of which Sands is an active member - was a very special meeting, bringing together researchers, clinicians, health care professionals, bereaved families, and support organisations from over 20 countries.

The conference focussed on perinatal loss - the human impact, the causes, and the possibilities for prevention. The mix of professionals and bereaved parents, from developed and developing countries, provided what many delegates agreed was a unique mix of experiences and knowledge from which everyone gained new perspectives and understanding of the issues.

The conference was run in two parallel streams: scientific and bereavement, and included joint plenary sessions where issues of interest to all were shared.

 

A report of the scientific stream is available here and a report on the bereavement stream is available here.