Analysis of Factors Influencing Women's Perception of Fertility during COVID-19 Pandemic

The present study was conducted to investigate the factors affecting women's perception of fertility during the Covid-19 pandemic. The research method is qualitative and has a descriptive phenomenological approach. The statistical population of the study is 30-year-old mothers with one child and at least a bachelor's degree during the period from June 21, 2020 to November 5, 2020 in Tehran. 20 mothers were selected by purposive sampling according to the criterion type. The data of this study were analyzed based on the mothers' lived experiences and by conducting a semi-structured interview about the women's perceptions of fertility during the Covid-19 period. For the validity and formality of the interview questions, the professors of the Department of Psychology and experts in the field of qualitative research were consulted. Then all data were analyzed using Colaizzi's seven-step method and MAXODA version 12 software. The results of the present study are provided in 8 main themes, disease risks with 3 subthemes, stress with 6 subthemes, desire for pregnancy with 3 subthemes, economic conditions with 3 subthemes, psychological security with 4 subthemes, improvement of family relations with 8 subthemes, research and study with 2 subthemes, and foresight is obtained with 5 subthemes. As a result, due to the increasing public awareness of the importance of pregnancy, most women prefer to plan their pregnancy. Therefore, addressing the factors related to women's perception of fertility in the high-risk period of Covid-19 may lead to comprehensive maternal awareness and safe pregnancy.