Investigation of the Motivations and Thoughts of Women Planning a Pregnancy During the Covid-19 Pandemic

• Published in: International journal of caring sciences 2022-09, Vol.15 (3), p.1737-1744
• Main Authors: Reyhan, Feyza Aktas, Dagli, Elif, Topkara, Fatma Nilufer
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Descriptive research; Pandemics; Pregnancy; Womens health
• ISSN: 1791-5201; 1792-037X

Background: Today, with the COVID-19 pandemic, we see that health should be handled as a whole, including physical, mental, social, and economic dimensions. Planning a pregnancy during the pandemic is a personal choice despite all possible risks. Aim: To evaluate women's motivations for planning pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic and their thoughts about the effects of the pandemic on their pregnancy Method: This study used a descriptive research design based on a general survey model using a quantitative approach and was conducted with 145 women who accessed the online questionnaire, conceived during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings: It was found that the frequency of sexual activity of the women included in the study did not change during the pandemic process, and 107 (73.8%) of them had a planned pregnancy. The participants decided to get pregnant for several reasons during the pandemic; for example, they thought it was a natural consequence of marriage (37, 34.6%), they wanted to fill in the gap in their life (36, 33.6%), and that the pandemic would continue for a long time (35, 32.7%). A statistically significant relationship was found between the status of women's willingness for pregnancy and their status of feeling concerned and receiving midwife support during pregnancy follow-up (χ2 = 13.856; p = 0.000 and χ2 = 9.944; p = 0.007, respectively). Conclusion: Concerns about COVID-19 negatively impact people's lives; yet, women continue pregnancy plans. Planning a pregnancy during a pandemic is a personal choice despite all possible risks. Women who feel stress and anxiety even under normal pregnancy conditions experience increased stress and anxiety levels in such a global pandemic. It is very important to ensure that women have access to more intensive midwife-supported information, care, and support in this process.