Seeking Participants: Studying Pregnancy and People with Multiple Chronic Health Conditions

We want to learn more about pregnancy in people who have multiple long-term physical conditions (such as diabetes) or mental health conditions. We want to better understand people’s experiences of using health care during pregnancy.

Why are we doing this research?

In Ontario, about one out of every six pregnant people has more than one chronic health condition. Having multiple chronic health conditions is an important influence on the health and wellbeing of pregnant individuals. 

What is this research about?

We want to find out more about what it’s like for pregnant people in Ontario who are managing multiple long-term health conditions, like diabetes. For example, we want to know how they manage their conditions during and after pregnancy. We also want to find ways to improve their healthcare in the future.

What will the researchers do?

Part 1: We will use health information from across Ontario to:

• Compare the risks of pregnancy complications in people experiencing multiple chronic health conditions.
• Look at health care use during or after pregnancy in people with multiple chronic health conditions.

Part 2: We will talk to 20 to 30 people who have multiple health conditions and have been pregnant in the last five years. We will also interview 20 to 30 healthcare workers and people who make decisions about healthcare in Ontario. We want to:

• Understand healthcare experiences during pregnancy, including what makes it hard or easy to get good care when you have multiple long-term health challenges.
• Find ways to improve the healthcare that pregnant people with multiple long-term health conditions receive.

Learn more about this study by reading a research summary.

About the author

Jannah Wigle

Jannah Wigle, PhD, is a sessional instructor and postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Health and Society, University of Toronto at Scarborough. Dr. Wigle is working under the supervision of Dr. Hilary Brown, leading the qualitative component of a multi-methods study examining perinatal care experiences among individuals with multiple chronic health conditions.