[How junior doctors live their work during pregnancy? A qualitative study in France]

During the final part of their medical studies, residents are under a large amount of stress and work overload as reported by a literature review between 2004 and 2014 assessing 33.2% of burn out among them. Pregnancy and motherhood lead to major physical and psychological changes. The purpose of this study was to point out the female residents feeling about the consequences of motherhood and pregnancy during residency.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted for this qualitative study. It was based on the Grounded theory and analyzed by a continuous thematization.

Ten interviews were conducted. Data saturation was obtained by the 8th interview. Diversity of medical specialty was sought. Residents expressed their feeling towards the consequences of pregnancy and motherhood during residency. The data analysis highlighted two major themes related to either work (training, industrial relations and job adaptation), or pregnancy and maternity.

Becoming a mother during residency represents an additional challenge for residents. It implies adjustment from them and their work teams in order to reduce the negative effect on a professional and personal level.