Caro Catherine V, Trow Storm, Bell Zoë, Flynn Angela C, Lavelle Fiona
Department of Nutritional Sciences, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, 150 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9NH, UK.
School of Population Health, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland.
Sports Med. 2025 Mar 16. doi: 10.1007/s40279-025-02191-9.
An increasing number of female athletes are navigating an athletic career alongside pregnancy. Limited qualitative research has investigated the experiences of elite athletes in the United Kingdom (UK). This study aimed to explore the experiences of elite athletes in the UK as they navigated pregnancy, employing a socio-ecological framework to inform future research and policy recommendations on sport participation during pregnancy.
A descriptive qualitative study design, adopting a relativist ontology and constructivist epistemology, was implemented. Semi-structured online interviews were conducted with elite athletes ≥ 18 years old, who resided in the UK, and who trained and/or competed at the highest level of their sport prior to and/or during pregnancy. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.
Eleven athletes (mean age 31 ± 3 years) from nine team and individual sports participated in the study. Four key themes were developed: (1) From the Podium to Parenthood: Institutional versus Individual Influence on Reproductive Planning; (2) Is My Career Over? Micro Level Support versus Macro Level Doubt and Worry; (3) Athlete to Mother: Internal Conflict to Community Role Model; (4) Navigating the Bump: Individual Drive to Tackle Systemic Gaps.
Findings highlight the complexity female athletes face when navigating pregnancy, motherhood and elite sport. There is a need for high-quality research focusing on preconception and pregnancy-specific training and nutrition modifications for elite athletes, particularly regarding nutrient intake and supplementation. Additionally, efforts to improve the translation of evidence-based research into practical applications remain essential.
越来越多的女运动员在孕期仍继续从事体育事业。针对英国精英运动员这方面经历的定性研究有限。本研究旨在探讨英国精英运动员孕期的经历，采用社会生态框架为未来关于孕期体育参与的研究和政策建议提供参考。
采用描述性定性研究设计，采用相对主义本体论和建构主义认识论。对年龄≥18岁、居住在英国、在孕期之前和/或期间在其运动项目最高水平进行训练和/或比赛的精英运动员进行半结构化在线访谈。访谈进行录音、转录，并使用反思性主题分析法进行分析。
来自九个团队和个人运动项目的11名运动员（平均年龄31±3岁）参与了本研究。确定了四个关键主题：（1）从领奖台到为人父母：机构与个人对生殖计划的影响；（2）我的职业生涯结束了吗？微观层面的支持与宏观层面的怀疑和担忧；（3）从运动员到母亲：内心冲突到社区榜样；（4）应对孕期：个人动力应对系统性差距。
研究结果凸显了女运动员在孕期、为人母和精英运动过程中所面临的复杂性。需要开展高质量研究，关注精英运动员孕前和孕期特定的训练及营养调整，特别是在营养摄入和补充方面。此外，努力将循证研究转化为实际应用仍然至关重要。
