An exciting new study on the experiences of LGBTQ+ people who are pregnant and postpartum aims to use its results to create positive changes for all LGBTQ+ childbearing people. Learn more and find out if you are eligible to take part.
The Study of Queer & Trans PREG (Perinatal Resilience and Experiences of Gestation) is led by Kodiak Soled, MSN, RN, a Ph.D. candidate in the Columbia University School of Nursing and a board member of GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality. She’s backed by a team not only of academics but also of community advisors since, as they explain on the study’s website, “We believe in community-informed research that privileges the expertise of community members and values their priorities and needs.”
Their goal, too, goes beyond just academic results: ultimately, they want to find ways to improve the future health of the LGBTQ+ community. They say:
We hope this study will allow LGBTQ+ childbearing people to document their own challenges as well as their strengths related to the childbearing journey and bring visibility to issues the community cares about most.
We hope by documenting LGBTQ+ childbearing experiences, we can use this knowledge to educate healthcare professionals, advocacy organizations, and support services on our needs.
We hope that using images, along with stories, will be a compelling way to speak to people in power and spark changes in policy that support and celebrate LGBTQ+ pregnant people and parents.
We hope this study will contribute to the development of future research studies that uplift and resource the diversity of people that bear children and their families.
The study will take place online over approximately six months. After an enrollment meeting, participants will take part in three, one-to-two-hour online interviews with surveys, all about their pregnancy and postpartum experiences. Between the interviews, they will take approximately 70 photos of these experiences, guided by biweekly prompts. (Using a cell phone camera is fine.)
Participants can be compensated up to $165 if they are found to be eligible and complete all research procedures.
Learn more and see if you are eligible (and if you’re not, please pass along the info to someone who might be).