Women's Voices: The Lived Experience of Pregnancy and Motherhood After Diagnosis With HIV

The objective of this study was to explore the meaning of pregnancy after diagnosis with HIV. Study design was a qualitative analysis of individual informant interviews conducted in two academic health centers in metropolitan New York. Participants were a purposive sampling of 9 women, 34 to 53 years old, who had been diagnosed with HIV and were currently pregnant or who had become mothers postdiagnosis. The result of the study included themes of extreme emotional distress after HIV diagnosis, feeling stigmatized, emotions related to the pregnancy and baby, experiences with health care providers, and motherhood for women with a diagnosis of HIV. The author concluded that the experience of pregnancy for a woman with HIV is one fraught with isolation, anxiety, and distrust, but it is also one of hope for the normalcy that motherhood may bring. Further research is needed to determine best practice for care delivery as women with HIV enter the health care system, especially for perinatal services.

Key words: HIV, pregnancy, lived experience, qualitative study design, chronic illness