Paradox of Modern Pregnancy: A Phenomenological Study of Women’s Lived Experiences from Assisted Pregnancy

Table 2

Themes arising from women’s perceptions of assisted pregnancy.

Theme	Category	Subcategory
Finding peace in life	Power and security	Satisfying husband
		Marital satisfaction
		Keeping the marriage alive
	Finding self-confidence	Feeling lack of something
		Being the center of attention
		Getting rid of the stigma of infertility
	Finding meaning in life	Escape from isolation and loneliness
		Getting rid of monotonous life
		Finding hope
	Feeling of being a mother	Bonding to the fetus
		Sense of responsibility toward the fetus
Paradoxical feelings	Joy and fear	Surprise
		Joy and Fear
	Hope and uncertainty	Uncertainty of being pregnant
		Doubt about the baby’s health and safety
		Uncertainty to continue pregnancy to the end of the third trimester
		Uncertainty in bonding with unborn baby
Struggle to realize a dream	Enduring all challenges	Difficult physical, emotional, and financial treatment
		Stigma
		Seeking help out of desperation
	Change in the life style	Low physical activity
		Adaptive behaviors in pregnancy
	Spirituality	Thanks giving to God
		Caring for other people
		Trusting in God