The question of what happens to a human foetus after miscarriage will be in many people's minds following the disclosure that seven foetuses went missing within the mortuary of the Coombe Women's Hospital.
When a pregnant woman has a miscarriage in the early weeks of pregnancy, she delivers a tiny foetus within a sac.
This is taken by the nursing staff and carefully packaged and labelled.
It is then brought to the hospital's pathology department to await detailed examination by a pathologist.
This examination involves both a macroscopic inspection of the foetus as well as the possible preparation of slide material for microscopic analysis.
Once this process has been completed, it is normal practice to allow the parents some time to decide on what to do next.
Increasingly, parents choose to have a simple religious ceremony followed by a burial, often in a dedicated "Holy Angels" plot such as exists in Glasnevin cemetery.
However, parents may decide to allow the hospital to proceed without their involvement.
Where a stillbirth occurs, the steps are broadly similar from the hospitals' perspective, although a much more detailed post-mortem examination will be performed.
Pathological analysis of the afterbirth and umbilical cord will also be possible in a baby who dies in the latter stages of pregnancy.
The psychological implications of pregnancy loss are significant for parents.
It is now generally believed that the bereavement process is aided by treating the remains with the same dignity afforded to adults.
Parents must be allowed the opportunity to hold and name their baby and to make choices as to how it will be prepared for burial.
There can be no rigid timetable for these events, with some bereaved parents needing time to make choices.
Different religious and spiritual beliefs will play a major part in the decision-making progress.
It is this very need for time which may explain the presence of seven foetuses within the mortuary of the Coombe Hospital.
Some of the babies may have been dead for a number of days, while the unhurried business of bereavement was allowed to take its course.