Access and utility as reflections of cultural constructions of pregnancy

Health care providers can give their patients better care if they understand how their patients view pregnancy and birth. This article provides some examples of how women from various cultural backgrounds understand pregnancy and how these beliefs affect women's decisions to seek prenatal care and to utilize prenatal services regularly throughout their pregnancies. These concepts-access and utility-provide the frame for this article, and the case studies from diverse ethnic groups provide examples of a variety of cultural beliefs and women's decisions to seek and to value biomedical direction during pregnancy. The conclusion includes several recommendations that health care providers can employ to enhance the quality and effectiveness of care.