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  • Filling the evidence void: exploration of coach and healthcare provider experiences working with pregnant and postpartum elite athletes – a qualitative study

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Original research
Filling the evidence void: exploration of coach and healthcare provider experiences working with pregnant and postpartum elite athletes – a qualitative study
  1. Margie H Davenport1,
  2. Lauren Ray2,
  3. Autumn Nesdoly2,
  4. Jane S Thornton3,
  5. Rshmi Khurana4,
  6. Tara-Leigh F McHugh2
  1. 1 Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
  2. 2 Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
  3. 3 Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Western Ontario Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, Ontario, Canada
  4. 4 Departments of Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
  1. Correspondence to Dr Margie H Davenport, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada; mdavenpo{at}ualberta.ca

Abstract

Objective Recent research grounded in the experiences of elite female athletes has shed light on the complex challenges of navigating sport environments that do not support or value pregnant or postpartum athletes. The purpose of this study was to explore the unique experiences of coaches and healthcare providers working with pregnant and postpartum elite athletes, and to identify actionable steps for research, policy and culture change to support them.

Methods Sixteen participants (five coaches, three physicians and eight physiotherapists), who have worked with pregnant and/or postpartum elite athletes within the last 5 years, participated in this qualitative study. Thirteen participants self-identified as women, and three as men. Data were generated via semistructured one-on-one interviews that were audiorecorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed through a process of content analysis.

Results The findings of this research are represented by five main themes: (a) lack of female athlete reproductive research, (b) need for evidence-informed education and training, (c) need to develop evidence-based progression for sport participation in pregnancy and postpartum, (d) open communication to support athlete-centred care and (e) essential supports and changes required for pregnant/postpartum athletes.

Conclusion Findings from this study, which are grounded in the unique perspectives of coaches and healthcare providers, outline specific recommendations to inform policy and practices that support athletes through the perinatal period, such as developing evidence-based return-to-sport protocols.

  • Pregnancy

Data availability statement

Data are available on reasonable request. The generated and analysed data in the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2023-107100

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    Data availability statement

    Data are available on reasonable request. The generated and analysed data in the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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    Footnotes

    • Twitter @ExercisePreg, @janesthornton

    • Contributors MHD, T-LFM, JST and RK conceived and designed the project. AN and LR conducted the interviews, AN, LR, T-LFM and MHD analysed the data and drafted the manuscript. All authors interpreted the data, revised and approved the final version of the manuscript. MHD and T-LFM are responsible for the overall content as the guarantor.

    • Funding This project was funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Insight Development Grant. MHD is supported by the Christenson Professorship in Active Healthy Living and a Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada Joint National and Alberta Improving Heart Health for Women New Investigator award. JST is supported by a Canada Research Chair in Injury Prevention and Physical Activity for Health. Study data were collected and managed using REDCap electronic data capture tools hosted and supported by the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute at the University of Alberta.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.