Men's Experience of Perinatal Loss

The purpose of this study is to investigate the phenomenon of men's experience of perinatal loss. A phenomenological methodology was selected to explore the lived experience and meaning of perinatal loss to the father. A convenience sample of six fathers was included in this study. Verbatim transcripts of open-ended questions were analyzed using Moustakas' (1990) method of analysis. From the individual descriptions of the fathers' experience of the phenomenon of perinatal loss, emergent themes were captured and organized into a composite creative synthesis that truthfully articulates what it means to live through the experience. The significance of this study is the validation of the father's experience with perinatal loss and in the clinical applications to direct therapeutic interventions toward a deeper understanding of the paternal experience with perinatal loss.