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plattwaz
Joined: 08 Apr 2005
Location: <Write something dumb here>
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 Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2005 8:26 pm Post subject: Strange thoughts about Miscarriages (ie/ babies) |
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The other day, one of the Korean teachers at my work, sadly, miscarried and lost her baby. She was 2 months into her pregnancy. After offering my condolances I was informed this was the 2nd time in a short while that she had miscarried.
I did some mental calculations, and realized that out of 6 Korean women at my current job, that is the 5th miscarriage in the past 8 months.
Then I counted all of the miscarriages that have happened to Korean colleagues or friends since I've been here (4 years) and the number is about 20.
Now, in the previous 30-odd years of my life, I have only known 4 or 5 women who miscarried once.
Is it just some strange situation whereby every pregnant woman I know loses her baby  or is the rate of miscarriage very very high amongst Korean women? If so, does anyone know why?
I know we have the "custom" of not announcing a pregnancy until after the first triemester, because the risk of miscarriage is high in this time; here in Korea, most of the pregnancies I have been told about, I was told as the woman was only in her first month. Perhaps this is a factor? |
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seoulunitarian
Joined: 06 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2005 8:51 pm Post subject: Re: Strange thoughts about Miscarriages (ie/ babies) |
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| plattwaz wrote: |
The other day, one of the Korean teachers at my work, sadly, miscarried and lost her baby. She was 2 months into her pregnancy. After offering my condolances I was informed this was the 2nd time in a short while that she had miscarried.
I did some mental calculations, and realized that out of 6 Korean women at my current job, that is the 5th miscarriage in the past 8 months.
Then I counted all of the miscarriages that have happened to Korean colleagues or friends since I've been here (4 years) and the number is about 20.
Now, in the previous 30-odd years of my life, I have only known 4 or 5 women who miscarried once.
Is it just some strange situation whereby every pregnant woman I know loses her baby or is the rate of miscarriage very very high amongst Korean women? If so, does anyone know why?
I know we have the "custom" of not announcing a pregnancy until after the first triemester, because the risk of miscarriage is high in this time; here in Korea, most of the pregnancies I have been told about, I was told as the woman was only in her first month. Perhaps this is a factor? |
Have you ever considered that they may have had abortions? |
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gdimension
Joined: 05 Jul 2005
Location: Jeju
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| Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2005 9:23 pm Post subject: Re: Strange thoughts about Miscarriages (ie/ babies) |
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| plattwaz wrote: |
The other day, one of the Korean teachers at my work, sadly, miscarried and lost her baby. She was 2 months into her pregnancy. After offering my condolances I was informed this was the 2nd time in a short while that she had miscarried.
I did some mental calculations, and realized that out of 6 Korean women at my current job, that is the 5th miscarriage in the past 8 months.
Then I counted all of the miscarriages that have happened to Korean colleagues or friends since I've been here (4 years) and the number is about 20.
Now, in the previous 30-odd years of my life, I have only known 4 or 5 women who miscarried once.
Is it just some strange situation whereby every pregnant woman I know loses her baby or is the rate of miscarriage very very high amongst Korean women? If so, does anyone know why?
I know we have the "custom" of not announcing a pregnancy until after the first triemester, because the risk of miscarriage is high in this time; here in Korea, most of the pregnancies I have been told about, I was told as the woman was only in her first month. Perhaps this is a factor? |
Just found this on Wikipedia: "Miscarriages occur more often than most people think. About 25% of women will experience one in their lives. Up to 78% of all conceptions may fail [1], in most cases before the woman even knows she is pregnant." |
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peppermint
Joined: 13 May 2003
Location: traversing the minefields of caddishness.
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| Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2005 9:29 pm Post subject: Re: Strange thoughts about Miscarriages (ie/ babies) |
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| seoulunitarian wrote: |
| plattwaz wrote: |
The other day, one of the Korean teachers at my work, sadly, miscarried and lost her baby. She was 2 months into her pregnancy. After offering my condolances I was informed this was the 2nd time in a short while that she had miscarried.
I did some mental calculations, and realized that out of 6 Korean women at my current job, that is the 5th miscarriage in the past 8 months.
Then I counted all of the miscarriages that have happened to Korean colleagues or friends since I've been here (4 years) and the number is about 20.
Now, in the previous 30-odd years of my life, I have only known 4 or 5 women who miscarried once.
Is it just some strange situation whereby every pregnant woman I know loses her baby or is the rate of miscarriage very very high amongst Korean women? If so, does anyone know why?
I know we have the "custom" of not announcing a pregnancy until after the first triemester, because the risk of miscarriage is high in this time; here in Korea, most of the pregnancies I have been told about, I was told as the woman was only in her first month. Perhaps this is a factor? |
Have you ever considered that they may have had abortions? |
If they were even considering getting an abortion, surely they wouldn't go about telling their co workers they were pregnant, would they? |
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seoulunitarian
Joined: 06 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2005 9:46 pm Post subject: Re: Strange thoughts about Miscarriages (ie/ babies) |
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| peppermint wrote: |
| seoulunitarian wrote: |
| plattwaz wrote: |
The other day, one of the Korean teachers at my work, sadly, miscarried and lost her baby. She was 2 months into her pregnancy. After offering my condolances I was informed this was the 2nd time in a short while that she had miscarried.
I did some mental calculations, and realized that out of 6 Korean women at my current job, that is the 5th miscarriage in the past 8 months.
Then I counted all of the miscarriages that have happened to Korean colleagues or friends since I've been here (4 years) and the number is about 20.
Now, in the previous 30-odd years of my life, I have only known 4 or 5 women who miscarried once.
Is it just some strange situation whereby every pregnant woman I know loses her baby or is the rate of miscarriage very very high amongst Korean women? If so, does anyone know why?
I know we have the "custom" of not announcing a pregnancy until after the first triemester, because the risk of miscarriage is high in this time; here in Korea, most of the pregnancies I have been told about, I was told as the woman was only in her first month. Perhaps this is a factor? |
Have you ever considered that they may have had abortions? |
If they were even considering getting an abortion, surely they wouldn't go about telling their co workers they were pregnant, would they? |
Probably not. However, word gets around in many other ways in Korea. It was just a thought. I'm not claiming omniscience of the situation. |
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billybrobby
Joined: 09 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2005 10:51 pm Post subject: |
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i don't wanna sound crude or heartless, but sometimes i honestly wonder how koreans give birth at all considering the average thinness of their hips.
edit-- i guess the babies are thin too. that must help. hehehe |
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periwinkle
Joined: 08 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2005 10:56 pm Post subject: |
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| God, that seems really high to me, too. How awful. Do you live near a nuclear waste dump or something?? Methinks Erin Brockovich should do some investigating in your area... |
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betchay
Joined: 23 Aug 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2005 1:41 am Post subject: |
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| from what i know, pregnant women here don't take pre-natal vitamins... i don't know if it makes any difference... also, you don't get to talk to the doctors about pre-natal care if you go to big hospitals... they are busy attending to 7-10 patients/30 minutes... i noticed this when i went with my sister-in-law in the hospital for her checkup... |
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plattwaz
Joined: 08 Apr 2005
Location: <Write something dumb here>
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| Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2005 1:49 am Post subject: Re: Strange thoughts about Miscarriages (ie/ babies) |
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| seoulunitarian wrote: |
Have you ever considered that they may have had abortions? |
Yes I know abortion rates are high here, but I'm talking women who are celebrating their pregnancies, telling everyone about it and are happy about the birth. Then, they are off work for a week and come back looking like their world has been ripped out from beneath them (and rightully so). Soooooo, I doubt they are abortions.
I've not lived in the same area, so it isn't environmental.
I guess the only possible answer that I can think of is that the difference between here and where I come from, is that we tend to keep it on the quiet for the first trimester.....whereas Koreans don't..... |
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hypnotist
Joined: 04 Dec 2004
Location: I wish I were a sock
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| Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2005 1:52 am Post subject: |
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| Several Koreans I've talked to have blamed the pollution level in Korea (or Seoul particularly) for their (or their partner's) miscarriages, and some are heading abroad to start a family (and not all to countries that offer citizenship-on-birth advantages, before anyone says anything)... |
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ChimpumCallao
Joined: 17 May 2005
Location: your mom
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| Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2005 2:32 am Post subject: |
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| maybe not pertaining to your specific cases, op, but the high incidences nationwide probably DO have to do with abortion....not that they aborted the baby they wanted...but previous abortions that may have hindered the chance of another healthy pregnancy. In a country where divorces are rumored to fight about who gets to NOT keep the child, i would not be surprised. |
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rapier
Joined: 16 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2005 2:52 am Post subject: |
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Its stress.
How many hours a day are these women working? presumably for an a*hole korean male boss...how much work do they have to do, how much time do they have to relax? Koreas overworked busy lifestyle is to blame.
All species of birds and animals abort foetuses in a stressful environment, usually related to lack of food, but also if they feel stressed or threatened in some way. |
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Son Deureo!
Joined: 30 Apr 2003
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| Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2005 4:45 am Post subject: Re: Strange thoughts about Miscarriages (ie/ babies) |
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| plattwaz wrote: |
I've not lived in the same area, so it isn't environmental.
I guess the only possible answer that I can think of is that the difference between here and where I come from, is that we tend to keep it on the quiet for the first trimester.....whereas Koreans don't..... |
You're missing the obvious. You must be causing them somehow. |
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joe_doufu
Joined: 09 May 2005
Location: Elsewhere
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| Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2005 6:04 am Post subject: |
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I know nothing about the subject, but of the theories advanced thus far, my instinct votes for they're announcing the pregnancy too soon, possibly because there's no privacy in this country and they couldn't keep it a secret even if they wanted to.
Another theory might be, you're 34 years old, right? Maybe you are at an age where more people in your social circle are trying to get pregnant than when you were younger in your home country. I'm 28 and I know I've noticed a sharp rise in the rate of wedding invitations I've received over the past 3 or 4 years compared to the previous decades. |
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Big Mac
Joined: 17 Sep 2005
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| Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2005 7:39 am Post subject: |
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| Perhaps it has something to do with the desire to have a boy rather than a girl. I know one Korean woman who told me that she has a huge family (almost all sisters) because her father wanted to keep going until they had a boy. Maybe they are aborting the babies because they are girls. Just a thought. |
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