Full title: “Hopes, worries and expectations” experiences of pregnancy with inflammatory bowel disease: An interpretative phenomenological analysis study

Rebecca Homer-Perry; Wladyslawa Czuber-Dochan; Tiffany Wade; Satvinder Purewal; Sarah CE Chapman; Matthew Brookes; Christian P. Selinger; Helen Steed

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31954

Full title: “Hopes, worries and expectations” experiences of pregnancy with inflammatory bowel disease: An interpretative phenomenological analysis study

Rebecca Homer-Perry^*, Wladyslawa Czuber-Dochan, Tiffany Wade, Satvinder Purewal, Sarah CE Chapman, Matthew Brookes, Christian P. Selinger, Helen Steed

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Background and Aims: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) affects many women of childbearing age. High levels of voluntary childlessness and high levels of pregnancy-related fears have been reported amongst these patients in several quantitative studies. We investigated the lived experiences of pregnant patients to better understand decision-making processes around family planning. Methods: Nine participants between 7 and 34 weeks pregnant (6 Crohn's Disease/3 Ulcerative Colitis), with an age range of 22–39 were recruited prospectively from three United Kingdom hospitals. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and audio recorded. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to interpret the data. Results: Two main themes emerged: 1) IBD is perceived as a threat to family planning; and 2) healthcare professional advice, support, and reassurance was important. IBD was viewed as a potential threat to fertility and reproductive health. Consequently, women's lived experience of pregnancy is shaped by anxiety and pregnancy-related worries for mother and baby. Mothers actively sought out expert medical assurances to alleviate some of the perceived fears. Conclusion: Previous research has repeatedly found that women with IBD exhibit high levels of pregnancy-related worries and anxieties. Our findings find that high levels of anxiety are due to patients’ perceptions that IBD is a threat to their reproductive health and their offspring. Women relied on a medicalized discourse to understand their IBD experiences during pregnancy and actively sought biomedical resources for assistance before and during pregnancy. Consultants should be aware that when dealing with pregnant patients, some women may experience anxiety and require extra support.

Original language	English
Article number	e31954
Journal	Heliyon
Volume	10
Issue number	11
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31954
Publication status	Published - 15 Jun 2024

Keywords

Inflammatory bowel disease
Pregnancy
Reproductive health

Access to Document

10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31954

Cite this

@article{d2da60f42cb24ec891a5264bf580f739,

title = "Full title: “Hopes, worries and expectations” experiences of pregnancy with inflammatory bowel disease: An interpretative phenomenological analysis study",

abstract = "Background and Aims: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) affects many women of childbearing age. High levels of voluntary childlessness and high levels of pregnancy-related fears have been reported amongst these patients in several quantitative studies. We investigated the lived experiences of pregnant patients to better understand decision-making processes around family planning. Methods: Nine participants between 7 and 34 weeks pregnant (6 Crohn's Disease/3 Ulcerative Colitis), with an age range of 22–39 were recruited prospectively from three United Kingdom hospitals. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and audio recorded. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to interpret the data. Results: Two main themes emerged: 1) IBD is perceived as a threat to family planning; and 2) healthcare professional advice, support, and reassurance was important. IBD was viewed as a potential threat to fertility and reproductive health. Consequently, women's lived experience of pregnancy is shaped by anxiety and pregnancy-related worries for mother and baby. Mothers actively sought out expert medical assurances to alleviate some of the perceived fears. Conclusion: Previous research has repeatedly found that women with IBD exhibit high levels of pregnancy-related worries and anxieties. Our findings find that high levels of anxiety are due to patients{\textquoteright} perceptions that IBD is a threat to their reproductive health and their offspring. Women relied on a medicalized discourse to understand their IBD experiences during pregnancy and actively sought biomedical resources for assistance before and during pregnancy. Consultants should be aware that when dealing with pregnant patients, some women may experience anxiety and require extra support.",

keywords = "Inflammatory bowel disease, Pregnancy, Reproductive health",

author = "Rebecca Homer-Perry and Wladyslawa Czuber-Dochan and Tiffany Wade and Satvinder Purewal and Chapman, {Sarah CE} and Matthew Brookes and Selinger, {Christian P.} and Helen Steed",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2024 The Authors",

year = "2024",

month = jun,

day = "15",

doi = "10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31954",

language = "English",

volume = "10",

journal = "Heliyon",

issn = "2405-8440",

publisher = "Elsevier BV",

number = "11",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Full title

T2 - “Hopes, worries and expectations” experiences of pregnancy with inflammatory bowel disease: An interpretative phenomenological analysis study

AU - Homer-Perry, Rebecca

AU - Czuber-Dochan, Wladyslawa

AU - Wade, Tiffany

AU - Purewal, Satvinder

AU - Chapman, Sarah CE

AU - Brookes, Matthew

AU - Selinger, Christian P.

AU - Steed, Helen

PY - 2024/6/15

Y1 - 2024/6/15

N2 - Background and Aims: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) affects many women of childbearing age. High levels of voluntary childlessness and high levels of pregnancy-related fears have been reported amongst these patients in several quantitative studies. We investigated the lived experiences of pregnant patients to better understand decision-making processes around family planning. Methods: Nine participants between 7 and 34 weeks pregnant (6 Crohn's Disease/3 Ulcerative Colitis), with an age range of 22–39 were recruited prospectively from three United Kingdom hospitals. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and audio recorded. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to interpret the data. Results: Two main themes emerged: 1) IBD is perceived as a threat to family planning; and 2) healthcare professional advice, support, and reassurance was important. IBD was viewed as a potential threat to fertility and reproductive health. Consequently, women's lived experience of pregnancy is shaped by anxiety and pregnancy-related worries for mother and baby. Mothers actively sought out expert medical assurances to alleviate some of the perceived fears. Conclusion: Previous research has repeatedly found that women with IBD exhibit high levels of pregnancy-related worries and anxieties. Our findings find that high levels of anxiety are due to patients’ perceptions that IBD is a threat to their reproductive health and their offspring. Women relied on a medicalized discourse to understand their IBD experiences during pregnancy and actively sought biomedical resources for assistance before and during pregnancy. Consultants should be aware that when dealing with pregnant patients, some women may experience anxiety and require extra support.

AB - Background and Aims: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) affects many women of childbearing age. High levels of voluntary childlessness and high levels of pregnancy-related fears have been reported amongst these patients in several quantitative studies. We investigated the lived experiences of pregnant patients to better understand decision-making processes around family planning. Methods: Nine participants between 7 and 34 weeks pregnant (6 Crohn's Disease/3 Ulcerative Colitis), with an age range of 22–39 were recruited prospectively from three United Kingdom hospitals. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and audio recorded. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to interpret the data. Results: Two main themes emerged: 1) IBD is perceived as a threat to family planning; and 2) healthcare professional advice, support, and reassurance was important. IBD was viewed as a potential threat to fertility and reproductive health. Consequently, women's lived experience of pregnancy is shaped by anxiety and pregnancy-related worries for mother and baby. Mothers actively sought out expert medical assurances to alleviate some of the perceived fears. Conclusion: Previous research has repeatedly found that women with IBD exhibit high levels of pregnancy-related worries and anxieties. Our findings find that high levels of anxiety are due to patients’ perceptions that IBD is a threat to their reproductive health and their offspring. Women relied on a medicalized discourse to understand their IBD experiences during pregnancy and actively sought biomedical resources for assistance before and during pregnancy. Consultants should be aware that when dealing with pregnant patients, some women may experience anxiety and require extra support.

KW - Inflammatory bowel disease

KW - Pregnancy

KW - Reproductive health

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85194322074&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31954

DO - 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31954

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85194322074

SN - 2405-8440

VL - 10

JO - Heliyon

JF - Heliyon

IS - 11

M1 - e31954

ER -

Full title: “Hopes, worries and expectations” experiences of pregnancy with inflammatory bowel disease: An interpretative phenomenological analysis study

Abstract

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this