Kirsty Budds, Lucy Eldred & Clare Murphy (03 Jun 2024): Promoting
empowerment or intensifying reproductive burden? Accounts of preconception
health adjustments among women trying to conceive, Psychology & Health, DOI:
10.1080/08870446.2024.2359454
https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2024.2359454
Abstract
Objective
Women’s preconception health is increasingly viewed as playing a critical role in pregnancy and birth outcomes and is becoming an increasing focus of public health messages within the UK and internationally. However, little is known about how women respond to and are impacted by preconception health messages as they try to conceive a baby.
Methods
Reflexive Thematic Analysis was used to analyse 193 responses from women in the UK to a qualitative survey on experiences of trying to conceive. As part of the survey women were asked to reflect on their engagement with preconception health practices.
Results
Three themes were generated: 1) Being fit for conception; 2) Preconception health and emotional labour, and 3) Interrogating preconception health expectations.
Conclusion
The findings demonstrate that whilst engagement with preconception health changes was empowering for some, more troubling implications included: heightened self-surveillance, stress, risks to wellbeing, and feelings of responsibility for poor outcomes. This demonstrates the importance of considering the unintended consequences of preconception health messaging in the shape of increased ‘reproductive burden’. Furthermore, future development of preconception health policy and practice must also consider women’s access to psychological support when trying to conceive.