Women's body image during pregnancy

Abstract

Introduction: Pregnancy is a period of time in that significant changes occur in the body image of most women. These changes can have a lot of effects on mother's and child's health. Knowledge on experiences of women in this period yields a better understanding of their health conditions. So, it is essential to conduct a qualitative research to analyze their feelings and experiences about their bodies during pregnancy. The aim of this research was describing pregnant women's experiences about their body image.

Methods: This was a qualitative phenomenological survey. The population studied was composed of pregnant women referred to Enghelab, Amirhamzeh and Navabsafavi clinics in Isfahan. The sampling was purposeful and the sample size included 12 subjects. The data were collected in 4 months by in-depth interview method. The data were analyzed by Colaizzi seven stage method.

Results: The findings of research were classified in 125 codes and two categories including changes without satisfaction and changes with satisfaction.

Discussion: According to the research findings, pregnant women experience various changes in the appearance of their bodies. Attention of health care providers to these changes during pregnancy and providing pregnant women and her relatives with necessary training in this period can have significant effects on their mental health.