Motherhood Experiences of Women With Multiple Sclerosis: A Thematic Meta-Synthesis.
İlknur ÖzkanCansu Polat DünyaPublished in: Clinical nursing research (2023)
The nature and unpredictable prognosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) make pregnancy and motherhood challenging experiences for women with the disease. Using the thematic synthesis method, we aimed to systematically interpret and synthesize data from qualitative research examining the motherhood experiences of women with MS. The analyses revealed three analytical themes: "Deciding to become a mother," "The journey during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period," and "Surviving as a mother with multiple sclerosis." For women with MS, being a mother, pregnancy, and the postpartum period were complex and challenging issues. During this period, most women felt lonely, thought that they were contradictory and inadequately informed by healthcare professionals and that they could not get enough social support. Despite all the difficulties, being a mother was a source of motivation for them. This meta-synthesis study provides healthcare professionals with an in-depth understanding of the experiences of women with MS with pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum period, and motherhood from their perspectives.
Keyphrases
- multiple sclerosis
- social support
- pregnancy outcomes
- mental health
- white matter
- preterm birth
- mass spectrometry
- depressive symptoms
- ms ms
- systematic review
- machine learning
- pregnant women
- skeletal muscle
- type diabetes
- stress induced
- single cell
- liquid chromatography
- optical coherence tomography
- insulin resistance
- cervical cancer screening