Sasha Albert

1 Background Almost 5% of women between the ages of 18–39 in the United States report hearing loss [1, 2]. Individuals with hearing loss often face many challenges in accessing health care and report poor physician–patient communication [3]. Effective communication plays a large role during healthcare visits and in patient satisfaction. Hearing loss is associated with adverse health outcomes [4, 5], including higher rates of pregnancy and birth complications [2, 6].

Abstract Objective Women who are deaf experience higher rates of reproductive healthcare barriers and adverse birth outcomes compared with their peers who can hear. This study explores the pregnancy experiences of women who are deaf to better understand their barriers to and facilitators of optimal pregnancy-related health care. Design Qualitative study using thematic analysis. Setting Semi-structured, individual, remote or in-person interviews conducted in the USA.