Grief after fetal death: a voiceless mourning

Abstract

The Ministry of Health advises that death certificates should not be issued in cases of fetal death for a pregnancy of less than 20 weeks or fetus weighing less than 500 g or shorter than 25 cm in height; however, the legislation allows the issuance of the certificate in cases where the family wishes to
bury the fetus. Given this context, abortion cases in which the certificate is issued are few. This article presents an integrative review that answers the question: would the death ceremonies, particularly the burial (made possible by the issuance of the death certificate), in case of fetal death under 20 weeks
of gestational age help in the parents’ mourning process? The literature consulted presented favorable information for the issuance of the death certificate and enabled a medical, legal and anthropological discussion of the theme.