Experiences of obstetric violence in pregnant and postpartum women: a qualitative study

Obstetric violence (OV) is a public health issue that violates women’s health and rights. With increasing global attention to women’s reproductive health rights, OV has gradually entered public discourse and become an important topic internationally. The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of OV in pregnant and postpartum women in China and to investigate its negative impacts. This qualitative study employed a thematic analysis approach, conducting semi-structured in-depth interviews with 20 postpartum women who had experienced obstetric violence. Three themes regarding the experiences of OV and its impact were identified: manifestations of OV, timing of OV, and negative impact of OV. Women may experience OV during pregnancy, childbirth, and puerperium. Specific manifestations include behavioral violence, verbal violence, psycho-emotional violence, neglect of privacy protection, inappropriate medical procedures, and economic violence, which collectively create adverse impacts on women, families, hospitals, and society at large. We need to raise public awareness of OV and achieve a closed-loop management of OV at the institutional, practical, educational, and managerial levels, improving the reproductive experiences in pregnant and postpartum women.