Pregnancy During Surgical Training: Are Residency Programs Truly Supporting Their Trainees?

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Women's Health

Background:

• National family leave policies have improved, but program-level support for surgical trainees' pregnancy-related needs remains insufficient.
• Surgical trainees may experience stigma when seeking schedule accommodations for pregnancy, pregnancy loss, or postpartum care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe program and colleague support for surgical trainees experiencing pregnancy-related and postpartum health needs.

Main Methods:

• A survey questionnaire was electronically distributed to female surgical residents and fellows.
• Participants responded to questions regarding pregnancy loss, reduction of clinical duties during pregnancy, and breastfeeding experiences.
• Support from colleagues and leadership was assessed using a 4-point Likert scale.

Main Results:

• Only 20.2% of respondents reported a miscarriage, and most took no time off; 28.6% of those who took time off felt unsupported.
• 15.8% of trainees with live births reduced work schedules during pregnancy, with many reporting stigma and guilt.
• Nearly half could not meet breastfeeding goals due to lack of time and inadequate facilities.

Conclusions:

• A minority of female surgical trainees utilize available leave or reduce duties for pregnancy/postpartum needs.
• Program-level strategies are essential to support trainees' schedule adjustments without fostering resentment or guilt.
• Surgical programs must proactively offer support, clinical duty reductions, and lactation facilities to improve the environment for pregnant residents.