ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2022
"I had so many life-changing decisions I had to make without support": a qualitative analysis of women's pregnant and postpartum experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Women's experiences of maternity care in high-income countries during the pandemic health system shock: a follow-up systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Pregnant Women's Experiences of Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Investigating the Prevalence and Associated Factors of Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms Among Pregnant Women in Bangladesh: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study.Health science reports · 2025Article
- Maternal Intrusive Thoughts and Dissociative Experiences in the Context of Early Caregiving Under Varying Levels of Societal Stress.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- COVID-19 Public Health Restrictions and New Mothers' Mental Health: A Qualitative Scoping Review.Qualitative health research · 2024Article
- Influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on prenatal and postpartum patient experiences and well-being.Birth (Berkeley, Calif.) · 2023Article
- Psychiatric disorders during pregnancy in asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 positive women: Prevalence and effect on outcome.Psychiatry research · 2023Article
- 'An extra level of kind of torment': Views and experiences of recurrent miscarriage care during the initial phases of COVID-19 in Ireland-A qualitative interview study.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2023Article
- The emotional and social impact of COVID-19 on postpartum women: A qualitative analysis on the experiences of women who gave birth during the pandemic in New York City.Women's health (London, England)Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has posed profound challenges for pregnant patients and their families. Studies conducted early in the pandemic found that pregnant individuals reported increased mental health concerns in response to pandemic-related stress. Many obstetric practices changed their healthcare delivery models, further impacting the experiences of pregnant patients. We conducted a survey study to explore the ways in which COVID-19 impacted the lives of pregnant and newly postpartum people.
methodsA mixed-methods survey was distributed to all patients ≥18 years old who were pregnant between January 1st, 2020 - April 28, 2021 in a large Midwest health system. Open-ended survey responses were analyzed for common themes using standard qualitative methodology.
resultsAmong the 1182 survey respondents, 647 women provided an open-ended response. Of these, 77% were in the postpartum period. The majority of respondents identified as white, were partnered or married, and owned their own home. Respondents reported feeling greater uncertainty, social isolation, as though they had limited social and practical support, and negative mental health effects as a result of the pandemic. Many cited sudden or arbitrary changes to their medical care as a contributing factor. Though in the minority, some respondents also reported benefits from the changes to daily life, including perceived improvements to medical care, better work-life balance, and opportunities for new perspectives.
conclusionsThis large qualitative dataset provides insight into how healthcare policy and lifestyle changes impacted pregnant and postpartum people. Respondents expressed similar levels of uncertainty and mental health concerns compared to other cohorts but less overall positivity. Our findings suggest greater attention be given to the impact of pandemic-related stress on pregnant and postpartum women. As the pandemic continues, these data identify areas where investment in additional support may have the greatest impact.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.