Mark Zuckerberg wants to end the taboo around miscarriages

Mark Zuckerberg is expecting a child with his wife, Dr Priscilla Chan.

In a refreshingly honest post announcing the pregnancy, the Facebook CEO said that he and his wife had been trying for a baby for two years and in that time had experienced three miscarriages.

According to NHS Choices, one in five pregnancies end in miscarriage. But while miscarriage is very common, it is rarely talked about.

Zuckerberg said that he and his wife hope that sharing their experience "will give more people the same hope we felt and will help more people feel comfortable sharing their stories as well".

"You feel so hopeful when you learn you're going to have a child. You start imagining who they'll become and dreaming of hopes for their future. You start making plans, and then they're gone. It's a lonely experience. Most people don't discuss miscarriages because you worry your problems will distance you or reflect upon you -- as if you're defective or did something to cause this. So you struggle on your own," he wrote.

Our good news is that our pregnancy is now far enough along that the risk of loss is very low and we are very hopeful.

Several of those commenting on the post thanked him for sharing his experience, with many Facebook users saying they didn't realise how common miscarriage was until they had one. One user noted: "My wife and I went through a similar experience, and didn't realize how many of our friends had gone through the same thing until we finally started talking openly about it. The outpouring of support we found was enormously comforting and helped us through some tough times."

For more information on miscarriage including where to get support, visit the Miscarriage Association.

More: Mark Zuckerberg's full post