Experiences and expectations in the first trimester of pregnancy: a qualitative study
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Standard
Experiences and expectations in the first trimester of pregnancy : a qualitative study. / Lou, Stina; Frumer, Michal; Schlütter, Mette M.; Petersen, Olav B.; Vogel, Ida; Nielsen, Camilla P.
In: Health Expectations, Vol. 20, No. 6, 2017, p. 1320-1329.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Harvard
APA
Vancouver
Author
Bibtex
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
T1 - Experiences and expectations in the first trimester of pregnancy
T2 - a qualitative study
AU - Lou, Stina
AU - Frumer, Michal
AU - Schlütter, Mette M.
AU - Petersen, Olav B.
AU - Vogel, Ida
AU - Nielsen, Camilla P.
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - Background: A dominant context for pregnant women in the Western world is medical technologies such as ultrasound and screening. It has been argued that such technologies may result in tentative pregnancies, which may be particularly prominent in the first trimester. However, little is known about how women experience early pregnancy. Objective: To explore the everyday experiences and expectations of first trimester pregnant women in a medicalized context of comprehensive and routine prenatal screening. Design: Qualitative, semi-structured interviews analysed using thematic analysis. Setting: Between May 2015 and January 2016, participants were recruited from two general practices and one obstetric ultrasound unit in Aarhus, Denmark. Participants: Twenty, first trimester pregnant women (15 primiparae, five multiparae) aged 21-39 years. Results: Early pregnancy is often kept secret in the first trimester due to a higher risk of miscarriage. However, the pregnancy is very real in the lives of the pregnant women who make it meaningful through practices of information seeking, listening to the body and anticipating the different milestones in pregnancy. First trimester screening represents one such milestone that is expected to mark a new and more certain phase in the pregnancy. A majority expects to terminate following a prenatal diagnosis, but this does not seem to influence their engagement with the pregnancy. Conclusions: The pregnant women use medical technologies to mark a milestone in pregnancy but do not expect all concerns to disappear upon a normal screening result. The majority of women acknowledge that pregnancy involves simultaneous feelings of happiness and worry.
AB - Background: A dominant context for pregnant women in the Western world is medical technologies such as ultrasound and screening. It has been argued that such technologies may result in tentative pregnancies, which may be particularly prominent in the first trimester. However, little is known about how women experience early pregnancy. Objective: To explore the everyday experiences and expectations of first trimester pregnant women in a medicalized context of comprehensive and routine prenatal screening. Design: Qualitative, semi-structured interviews analysed using thematic analysis. Setting: Between May 2015 and January 2016, participants were recruited from two general practices and one obstetric ultrasound unit in Aarhus, Denmark. Participants: Twenty, first trimester pregnant women (15 primiparae, five multiparae) aged 21-39 years. Results: Early pregnancy is often kept secret in the first trimester due to a higher risk of miscarriage. However, the pregnancy is very real in the lives of the pregnant women who make it meaningful through practices of information seeking, listening to the body and anticipating the different milestones in pregnancy. First trimester screening represents one such milestone that is expected to mark a new and more certain phase in the pregnancy. A majority expects to terminate following a prenatal diagnosis, but this does not seem to influence their engagement with the pregnancy. Conclusions: The pregnant women use medical technologies to mark a milestone in pregnancy but do not expect all concerns to disappear upon a normal screening result. The majority of women acknowledge that pregnancy involves simultaneous feelings of happiness and worry.
KW - experience
KW - first trimester
KW - pregnancy
KW - prenatal care
KW - qualitative research
KW - ultrasound
U2 - 10.1111/hex.12572
DO - 10.1111/hex.12572
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 28521069
AN - SCOPUS:85034018298
VL - 20
SP - 1320
EP - 1329
JO - Health Expectations
JF - Health Expectations
SN - 1369-6513
IS - 6
ER -
ID: 228735420