How do women with high BMI experience pregnancy and maternity care?
Research type
Research Study
Full title
BRIGHT. BMI in Pregnancy: Risk Communication, Insights, and Experiences
IRAS ID
360497
Contact name
Catherine Aiken
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
(223497/Z/21/Z) , Wellcome Trust PhD Fellowship
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
This study is looking at the experiences of pregnant women who have a high BMI at their booking visit. In the UK, about 1 in 4 women start pregnancy with a high BMI. Women with high BMI are often offered extra tests, appointments, and monitoring during pregnancy to help reduce the risk of complications.
Previous research shows that women with high BMI often feel that information about weight and pregnancy complications is either avoided or discussed in a way that can lead to upset, confusion and stigmatisation. Some women report not receiving enough information about how BMI can affect their pregnancy, while others feel that too much focus is placed on their weight in ways that don’t feel helpful.
We want to understand how women with a high BMI experience and make sense of the care they receive, especially around the ideas of health, risk, and strategies for support or interventions. We hope this will help midwives, doctors, and other healthcare professionals offer care and information in ways that feel more supportive and helpful to women.
We are planning to interview around 20 pregnant women with a BMI of 30 or more who are receiving maternity care at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/YH/0230
Date of REC Opinion
24 Oct 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion