People experiencing miscarriage and other forms of pregnancy loss will gain a new legal right to bereavement leave from April 2027, in a move the Government says will give workers time to grieve without having to rely on sick leave or annual leave.
Under changes announced on 22 September, women and their partners who experience a pregnancy loss before 24 weeks will be entitled to up to two weeks of unpaid leave. The entitlement will cover miscarriage, terminations and unsuccessful IVF embryo transfers. The Government says the changes will recognise that pregnancy loss affects partners and families as well as the person who was pregnant.
The new right will be available from the first day of employment. Leave can be taken flexibly within 56 weeks of the loss, including as individual days, allowing workers to decide when they need time away from work. Employers will not be entitled to demand evidence of the loss, while workers will be protected from dismissal or detriment for exercising their statutory right.
What the new bereavement leave means
The move extends existing parental bereavement protections. At present, statutory parental bereavement leave generally applies following the death of a child under 18 or a stillbirth after 24 weeks. People experiencing a miscarriage before 24 weeks do not currently have a statutory entitlement to bereavement leave, although employers can offer their own policies or agree other forms of absence.
For Dr Jyotsna Vohra, Director of Research, Programmes and Impact at pregnancy and baby charity Tommy’s, the change recognises that the emotional impact of miscarriage can continue long after the physical symptoms have ended.
“When you have a miscarriage, you lose an entire future you’ve planned and dreamed about,” she said. “As well as the immediate raw grief, you live with anniversaries and significant dates that trigger so many difficult emotions.”
The psychological impact can last long after miscarriage
Research from Tommy’s National Centre for Miscarriage Research has highlighted the potential long-term psychological impact. A study published by researchers at Imperial College London and KU Leuven found that one in six women experienced long-term post-traumatic stress following miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. Other research cited by Tommy’s has found symptoms of PTSD in one in three women one month after a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy.
Dr Vohra said this makes it important that people are given time away from work not only to recover physically but to process the loss.
“That’s why it’s so important to make sure women and partners have the time and space to grieve, whether that’s immediately after a miscarriage or later on,” she said.
“No-one should be expected to take sick leave or days from their holiday allowance to deal with the pain of losing a baby.”
The two-week entitlement is unpaid, which means workers who cannot afford to take unpaid time off may still face difficulties. Dr Vohra said Tommy’s believes the leave should ultimately be paid.
“Two weeks of bereavement leave will not take away that pain – and we believe it should be paid leave rather than unpaid - but it will allow women and birthing people and their partners some time to grieve away from work, just as they are entitled to do following other family bereavements,” she said.
Miscarriage myths can add to grief
Miscarriage is common, but the reasons behind individual losses are not always clear. Tommy’s estimates that early miscarriage occurs in around 10 to 20 in every 100 pregnancies, while its research centre describes miscarriage as the most common complication of pregnancy.
Yet misconceptions about the causes of miscarriage can add another layer of distress. Women may question whether something they ate, how much they worked, physical activity or stress contributed to their pregnancy loss.
Vohra stressed that, in most cases, women should not blame themselves.
“In the vast majority of cases, miscarriages are not caused by anything that a woman did or didn’t do. No woman should be made to feel responsible for her loss,” she said.
Tommy’s says most early miscarriages are caused by problems with the baby’s chromosomes, which generally happen by chance. It also says there is no evidence that physical activity causes miscarriage in uncomplicated pregnancies.
The relationship between stress and miscarriage is more complicated. Tommy’s says research has found an association between persistent, high levels of psychological stress and miscarriage, but this does not mean that stress itself caused an individual miscarriage. Researchers say more evidence is needed to understand the relationship.
Dr Vohra said improving understanding of miscarriage remains an important part of Tommy’s work. “It’s essential that we understand more about what does cause them and prevent them from happening,” she said.
The new workplace entitlement is therefore being presented not as a replacement for medical or emotional support, but as a minimum period of protected time away from work.
The Government says the changes are intended to ensure people do not have to worry about whether they can take time off during bereavement. The broader reforms will also introduce statutory bereavement leave for people losing close family members, while extending protections to relationships including step, half, adoptive, kinship-care and foster relationships.
For people experiencing pregnancy loss, the change could also alter how miscarriage is understood in the workplace: not simply as a medical event requiring recovery, but as a bereavement that can have consequences long after the physical process has ended.
As Dr Vohra puts it, “No-one should be expected to take sick leave or days from their holiday allowance to deal with the pain of losing a baby.”
