ArticleF&S reports2026
"The elephant in the (exam) room": pregnant reproductive endocrinology and infertility physicians' experiences in clinical care.
Article in F&S reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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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.
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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.
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objective: To determine the impact of being pregnant while working as a reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI) physician. Design: A qualitative study based on semistructured interviews conducted between March 2021 and January 2022. Subjects: Twelve US REI physicians who were recruited through purposive sampling. Exposure: Experience of pregnancy while providing patient care in an infertility clinic setting as a fellow or attending. Main Outcome Measures: Qualitative thematic analysis of interview transcripts to produce basic codes, organized into subthemes and themes. Results: Respondents experienced pregnancies while practicing infertility medicine in 11 states. Five reproductive endocrinologists used assisted reproductive technology to conceive their own pregnancies. A majority discussed how increased awareness of the fertile window and potential pregnancy complications impacted them. Most acknowledged that seeing a pregnant physician could be difficult for a subfertile patient and took steps to protect the patient, including intentionally trying to hide physical manifestations of pregnancy via clothing or scheduling. Emotional experiences discussed included: anxiety about their own pregnancy, self-consciousness of physical manifestations of pregnancy or personal fertility journey, survivor guilt related to conceiving while their patients struggle and anxiety over patient interactions. The majority noted patient-initiated conversations about physician pregnancy and described these as positive interactions. Many reported dialogues with colleagues or mentors about personal family-building and its impacts on patient interaction. Conclusion: This study highlights the need for improved support for personal family building within the REI field. Opportunities for improvement include maternity leave, collegial collaboration, and guidance for management of challenging patient interactions. Improvements in these areas have the potential to result in improved support, empathy, and clinical care for REI patients and physicians.
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