Pregnant Women Diagnosed with Threatened Preterm Labor and What They Experience in the Hospital? A Qualitative Study

INTRODUCTION: Preterm labor is an important problem in terms of neonatal mortality and morbidity risk adversely affecting women who experience the threat of preterm labor. This study aimed to determine the experience, feelings, and thoughts of the women who are diagnosed with threatened preterm labor in the hospital.
METHODS: A phenomenological approach was used. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews in perinatology clinic of a research hospital. The sample consisted of 12 women diagnosed with threatened preterm labor. Content analysis was used to evaluate the data.
RESULTS: As a result of the interviews, 5 main themes were formed, namely “meaning of threatened preterm labor,” “causes of threatened preterm labor,” “problems related with threatened preterm labor,” “coping,” and “expectations and recommendations.”. Thirteen themes such as psychological burden, lifestyle change, experiencing health problems, problems related to the hospital environment, and the hospital environment were created.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This study showed that threatened preterm labor influences women physically and psychologically. In the threatened preterm labor process, women expect support from both healthcare professionals and their families and friends. For this reason, it may be important for healthcare professionals to care for how women cope with threatened preterm labor. Inclusion of the family and social environment of women in the threatened preterm labor process and the support of healthcare professionals in providing information and comfort to women may contribute to the coping of women with the threatened preterm labor.