A qualitative study of midwives’ challenges to support transmen during childbirth: A short report

Abstract

Introduction Individuals who are transgender often want a family and want to be validated as fathers, but may lack support in the reproductive health field. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore midwives’ perceptions regarding caring for transmen during labour and birth. Methods Five midwives were recruited from Stockholm-area hospitals, with interviews lasting 17 minutes on average. Qualitative content analysis using an inductive approach was used. Results Our findings describe the challenges midwives face when caring for transmen in childbirth, including a lack of knowledge, confusion on working with transgender, how to provide individualized support, and the complexity of childbirth. Conclusions The midwives faced challenges when caring for transmen in childbirth. Since midwives lacked knowledge regarding best practices to support transmen, they wanted to receive more education on how to care for transmen during birth.

Keywords

• intrapartum care
• lack of knowledge
• midwives
• transmen