Title : A meta-synthesis of women’s experiences of body image across the perinatal period.
Abstract:
The perinatal period involves profound biopsychosocial changes, during which a women’s body image is shaped by societal ideals of femininity, identity roles and expectations of motherhood. A previous meta-synthesis highlighted that women’s experiences of their pregnant bodies reflect tensions between socially constructed ideals of femininity and the physical changes of pregnancy. While pregnancy temporarily excused deviation from these ideals, dissatisfaction often re-emerged postpartum as women sought to reclaim their bodies, navigating loss of control and shifting identities from attractiveness toward motherhood. Since then, changes in societal attitudes highlight the need to revisit this topic through more recent research.
This study aimed to follow up on a review by Hodgkinson et al., (2014) by reviewing qualitative studies examining body image during the perinatal period, from 2014 to the present.
PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, and PubMed were searched. Studies were included based on SPIDER criteria: women of childbearing potential (prenatal to postpartum), focus on body image during the perinatal period, peer-reviewed qualitative design, exploration of experiences or views, and qualitative or mixed-methods research with a predominant qualitative component. Only English-language studies published after 2014 were eligible. Title, abstract, and full-text screening were conducted independently in duplicate. Included studies will undergo inductive interpretive thematic synthesis and quality appraisal using the CASP and GRADE-CERQual tools.
Data extraction and thematic synthesis is ongoing. Preliminary findings indicate a growing focus on the postpartum period, in particular breastfeeding and its relationship with body image. This could be attributed to the idea that body image pressures often intensify after birth, driven by persistent physical changes, social expectations, and limited postpartum support. The increased emphasis on the postpartum period prompted discussion on whether the inclusion criteria should be refined to distinguish between pregnancy and postpartum experiences or maintained as a single, integrated analysis.
This research was completed as part of RCSI Research Summer School (2025). Funding was not applicable.
