To Be a Pregnant Surgeon—Is There Anything to Be Afraid of?

Background: Women who decide to become a surgeon are afraid of motherhood. The aim of this study was to establish the opinions of patients and doctors on the professional activity of pregnant surgeons (PS). Methods: The study was conducted on a group of respondents consisting of doctors and patients. The study was carried out using a questionnaire of 12 questions. Results: 1074 doctors and 657 patients responded to the survey. Doctors, especially non-surgeons, significantly more often believed that PS should stop working in the operating theatre immediately after pregnancy confirmation. Most patients thought that operations performed by PS are normal, whereas the doctors more often considered it heroic or irresponsible. Doctors more often mentioned fear of financial stability and fear of losing their reputation as reasons for working by PS. Most respondents claimed that it made no difference whether they were operated on by PS or not. However, patients significantly more often declared their willingness to be operated on by PS. Conclusions: The study showed that female surgeons may have slight concerns about how they will be perceived by colleagues and patients. However, most respondents, patients significantly more often, believed that working during pregnancy is the natural course of things.

[1]  M. Boukerrou,et al.  Challenges of the pregnant gynecological surgeon. , 2022, Journal of gynecology obstetrics and human reproduction.

[2]  C. Greenberg,et al.  Experiences of Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Among Residents in General Surgery Programs Across the US. , 2021, JAMA surgery.

[3]  S. Slezak,et al.  "A Roadmap for Navigating Occupational Exposures for Surgeons: A Special Consideration for the Pregnant Surgeon". , 2020, Plastic and reconstructive surgery.

[4]  S. Temkin,et al.  The Current Status of Women in Surgery: How to Affect the Future. , 2020, JAMA surgery.

[5]  R. Goldman,et al.  Occupational Reproductive Hazards for Female Surgeons in the Operating Room: A Review. , 2020, JAMA surgery.

[6]  C. Harnsberger,et al.  The Pregnant Surgeon , 2019, Clinics in Colon and Rectal Surgery.

[7]  M. Roubaud The Pregnant Surgeon: What We Are Doing Right , 2019, Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open.

[8]  A. Szczesna,et al.  Pregnant surgeon - assessment of potential harm to the woman and her unborn child. , 2019, Ginekologia polska.

[9]  Surjit Singh,et al.  How to Design and Validate A Questionnaire: A Guide. , 2019, Current clinical pharmacology.

[10]  D. Smink,et al.  Pregnancy and Motherhood During Surgical Training , 2018, JAMA surgery.

[11]  Simon T Williams,et al.  The pregnant urologist , 2017, BJU international.

[12]  L. C. Hamilton The lesser spotted pregnant surgeon. , 2017, Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

[13]  R. Jacklin,et al.  Safety of radioactive sentinel node biopsy for breast cancer and the pregnant surgeon - A review. , 2016, International journal of surgery.

[14]  W. Longo,et al.  Pregnancy and Parenthood among Surgery Residents: Results of the First Nationwide Survey of General Surgery Residency Program Directors. , 2016, Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

[15]  Stephen R. Keoghane,et al.  Radiation exposure to a pregnant urological surgeon – what is safe? , 2015, BJU international.

[16]  G. Dildy,et al.  Birth trends and factors affecting childbearing among thoracic surgeons. , 2014, The Annals of thoracic surgery.

[17]  K. Hancke,et al.  "Pregnant and Operating": Evaluation of a Germany-wide Survey Among Female Gynaecologists and Surgeons. , 2014, Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde.

[18]  A. Reed,et al.  Time for radiation safety program guidelines for pregnant trainees and vascular surgeons. , 2012, Journal of vascular surgery.

[19]  K. Saleh,et al.  Occupational hazards to the pregnant orthopaedic surgeon. , 2011, The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume.

[20]  A. K. Sachdeva,et al.  Women in surgery residency programs: evolving trends from a national perspective. , 2011, Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

[21]  R. Hemphill,et al.  Potentially discriminatory questions during residency interviews: frequency and effects on residents' ranking of programs in the national resident matching program. , 2010, Journal of graduate medical education.

[22]  K. Stolzmann,et al.  Birth trends and pregnancy complications among women urologists. , 2009, Journal of the American College of Surgeons.