Women's experiences of being "overdue" in pregnancy
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Women's experiences of being "overdue" in pregancy
IRAS ID
178350
Contact name
Denis Walsh
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 1 days
Research summary
Full term pregnancy is defined as 38-42 weeks. Women who are pregnant beyond their estimated due date (40 weeks) are often described as being “overdue”. NICE guidelines suggest offering women induction of labour between 41 and 42 weeks with monitoring as an alternative. Around 20% of women give birth at 41 weeks or later but very little is known about how women experience being overdue. There are concerns among professionals that the term ‘due date’ may be misleading women and causing unnecessary anxiety, and also that women may not be making informed choices about induction of labour. Limited qualitative research suggests that women may feel pressure from health care professionals and family members to produce a baby at the expected time and that women may feel decisions about whether to induce labour are beyond their control. This study has two components: 1. Semi-structured interviews with women who recently gave birth at 41 weeks or later and 2. A pilot online focus group with women who gave birth at 41 weeks or later. The objective is to further understanding of women’s experiences of being “overdue” in the UK context, paying particular attention to how women make decisions about induction of labour and any additional support women may need. Findings of this small study will inform the development of future research.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EE/0224
Date of REC Opinion
10 Jun 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion