The journey of pregnancy: a qualitative study on the lived experiences of women with dwarfism

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Mary Man

Background misconceptions about dwarfism—such as inability to engage in sexual activity, unsuitability for reproduction, and concerns about passing dwarfism genetically—shape how many women experience pregnancy planning and decision-making. Women are often treated as high-risk without truly centering their own meanings and expectations. This qualitative study explores the perceived meanings that women with dwarfism assign to their journey of pregnancy.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Introduction

Nassar etal. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth (2026) 26:33 [https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-025-08537-5](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-025-08537-5) BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth RESEARCH Open Access The journey of pregnancy: a qualitative study on the lived experiences of women with dwarfism Zuvairiya Nassar 1*, Sampath Kumar Srinivasan 1 and Manas Ranjan Pradhan2 Abstract Background Due to being short, a series of persistent misconceptions, such as being incapable of sexual activity, unsuitable for reproduction, and having a high chance of genetically transmitting dwarfism to offspring, predominantly exist over women with dwarfism. Such distorted dispositions had kept these women either from becoming pregnant or in a state of confusion to bear a child. In addition to being categorized as high-risk women, it is significant to understand their journey from their perspective to bring out more sensible and grounded means in approaching pregnancy. The present study aims to understand the perceived meanings that women with dwarfism ascribe to their journey of pregnancy. Methods This qualitative investigation used a hermeneutical phenomenological research design. Seven women with dwarfism were recruited through purposive sampling, and face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted using a semi-structured guide. The data collected were then transcribed and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-stage thematic analysis approach. Results Four themes emerged from the data: (1) Ambiguity at the preconception phase,(2) Fear associated with childbirth,(3) Pregnancy-related complications, and (4) Psychosocial challenges during pregnancy. Uncertainty around their ability to reproduce, anxiety over the child inheriting dwarfism, and apprehensions about the caregiving burden were the key findings. They longed for supportive care to manage their overall health during the journey of pregnancy. Conclusion In the journey to motherhood, women with dwarfism suffer from pre-conception planning, fear associated with childbirth, pregnancy-related complications, and psychosocial challenges during pregnancy. The findings highlight the need for an interdisciplinary approach that focuses on understanding the expectations of women with dwarfism during pregnancy, including support from family, peers, and health practitioners. Engagement with advocacy groups would maximize the chance of meeting women with similar experiences and learning from them the best possible ways to traverse pregnancy gracefully. Keywords Pregnancy experiences, Dwarfism, Preconception, Antenatal, Qualitative *Correspondence: Zuvairiya Nassar [zuvynaser@gmail.com](zuvynaser@gmail.com) 1Department of Sociology and Population Studies, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India 2Department of Fertility and Social Demography, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Govandi Station Road, Deonar, Mumbai 400088, Maharashtra, India © The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit [http://creati](http://creati)[vecom

FAQs

What misconceptions about dwarfism influenced women’s pregnancy journeys in this study?

The study highlights persistent misconceptions including beliefs that women with dwarfism cannot have sexual activity, are unsuitable for reproduction, and have a high chance of genetically transmitting dwarfism to offspring.

How was the qualitative research conducted?

Seven women with dwarfism were recruited via purposive sampling. Face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted with a semi-structured guide, then transcribed and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-stage thematic analysis approach.

What key themes emerged from the interviews?

Four themes emerged: ambiguity during the preconception phase, fear associated with childbirth, pregnancy-related complications, and psychosocial challenges during pregnancy, including uncertainty about reproduction and anxiety about children inheriting dwarfism.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Mary Man