[Insight & Opinion] Miscarriage Rates Among Pregnant Women Overlooked Amid Ultra-Low Birthrate

1. 1.46 Million Miscarriages in the Past Decade
In 2022, Nearly Half the Number of Live Births
Advanced Maternal Age and Workplace Stress Identified as Causes
Spotlight on Development of Miscarriage Risk Measurement Device

Recently, the final judging of an idea contest hosted by the KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) Institute for National Future Strategy and Technology Policy was held. The theme of the contest was "Utilizing Science and Technology to Overcome the Population Crisis." A total of 270 ideas were submitted, and after three rounds of evaluation, five final ideas were selected. The most notable topic was the "Development of an AI-based skin-attached device to measure miscarriage risk to reduce miscarriage rates."

Through the presentation of implementation plans, it was confirmed that the miscarriage rate in South Korea has been steadily increasing over the past decade. According to data surveyed by the National Health Insurance Service in 2022, the total number of miscarriages over the last 10 years was 1.46 million. Considering that the number of births in 2023 was 230,000, this figure exceeds the number of births over six years. The problem lies in the increasing rate of miscarriages. In 2013, the miscarriage rate was 37.5%, with 164,006 miscarriages out of 436,005 births, but in 2022, it surged to 49.4%, with 123,000 miscarriages out of 249,000 births.

In the current national crisis of demographic change, various proposals to increase the birth rate are pouring in. Encouraging marriage and having children is important, but it is even more crucial to ensure that conceived children are born healthy into the world. With one in three pregnant women experiencing miscarriage, even halving the miscarriage rate would greatly help increase South Korea’s birth rate.

A miscarriage is defined as the death of a fetus before 20 weeks of pregnancy. Experts point to causes of the rising miscarriage rate such as advanced maternal age due to late marriage, and physical and psychological stress experienced at work. Climate and environmental factors are also said to affect miscarriage. According to Statistics Korea, the average age of first childbirth in South Korea is 32.6 years, which is 2 to 5 years higher than in other developed countries. A recent study by an obstetrics and gynecology specialist team analyzed that stress from irregular working hours and other work-related factors can also influence miscarriage. Therefore, policy efforts are needed to lower the age of first marriage and improve working conditions for pregnant women.

Active exploration of ways to reduce miscarriage rates using science and technology is also necessary. In this context, the "miscarriage risk measurement device" proposed in this KAIST idea contest is innovative. It uses a skin-attached thin-film sensor and AI technology to analyze the health status of the mother and fetus in real time and transmit the data to medical institutions. This approach aims to regularly monitor the health of the mother and fetus and overcome spatial and temporal limitations. Considering that the risk of miscarriage is higher when pregnant women live outside the metropolitan area, it is also a good alternative to improve access to medical services. Although issues remain regarding telemedicine, the rapid detection and warning of risk factors alone could significantly help reduce miscarriage rates.

Despite high interest in the low birth rate, we have so far overlooked or neglected the issue of maternal miscarriage. The science and technology sector needs to collaborate with the medical field and devote more active attention and research and development efforts to reduce miscarriage rates. The government should also prepare support measures for miscarriage prevention, similar to support for infertility treatments. No child conceived with difficulty should lose their life in vain before seeing the light of the world. This is especially true for us, experiencing one of the world’s lowest birth rates.

Seoyongseok, Professor at KAIST Graduate School of MoonSool Future Strategy