Women are too scared to get pregnant as they are worried about the changes it will cause to their weight and body, a new survey has revealed.
Health on Female First
Despite women wanting children, 74% have admitted to delaying the process of starting a family as they are concerned about the changes pregnancy will make to their body.
Online pharmacy, www.UKMedix.com, conducted the survey on the attitudes surrounding weight and body image. The respondents who took part admitted that they were yet to have their own children.
A third of the relevant women were concerned about their body during the pregnancy, whilst the remaining 68% stated that they were worried about returning back to their usual size after having their baby.
The pressures of getting back into your jeans straight after giving birth is overwhelming and 64% said that celebrity mothers quickly losing weight adds to the strain.
All respondents with weight and body concerns were asked what pressures made them body conscious to which ‘celebrity mother’s quickly losing baby/pregnancy weight’ was top of the list. Second on the list with 64%, was ‘friends and family members quickly losing baby/pregnancy weight.’ One in ten of these women stated that they felt pressure from their partner (9%).
87% of women revealed that they would like to have children within the next five years.
Top 10 reasons for women to not get pregnant
- I am worried about gaining weight and the changes to my body during the pregnancy- 34%
- I am concerned about taking maternity leave from my job- 32%
- I am concerned that my career will be affected by becoming a parent- 27%
- I am concerned that my social life / lifestyle will be affected- 25%
- I want to be in a financial position to be able to support myself and my children- 21%
- I am worried that my relationship with my partner will be affected- 17%
- I am not confident about my parenting abilities- 15%
- I feel pressured by family or friends to wait longer before getting pregnant- 11%
- My partner doesn’t necessarily want children yet- 9%
- I wouldn’t want to bring a child into my current situation e.g. neighbourhood, relationship, etc.- 7%
Sarah Bailey of UKMedix.com commented: “There are some sensible reasons to put off having children, but fears about what it will do to your body certainly shouldn’t be in the top ten, let alone come out in first place! It’s outrageous that we live in a society where women have so much pressure to stay slim that they will put off huge life choices for fear of losing a socially acceptable figure!”
She continued: “It’s about time we recognised the fact that women’s bodies are worth much more than a tag sewn into their clothes or number on the scales. Essentially, if a woman has just created a life, a few stretch marks or extra pounds are a very small price to pay; they should be seen as something to celebrate, if anything!”