Overview of the Study

When the World Health Organization announced that the epidemic of COVID-19 had officially passed to a pandemic
status, many local and national governments instituted new guidelines on public health and hospital policies, which are
adapted as new waves of the pandemic happen locally. These policies, aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19 and
diminishing the burden of the pandemic on the health systems, may have an impact on the lives of pregnant women and perhaps even on their future child.

The Research Team

To better quantify these impacts, a group of international researchers of varied expertise came together to build a
web-based questionnaire (about 20 minutes to complete) to collect information on the changes in their
daily or professional life and their medical follow-ups experienced by pregnant women during the pandemic, their level
of stress and concerns, and their personal experience with COVID-19 if any.

Objectives

Determine

Our questionnaire is carefully designed to capture changes, stress, anxiety, and physical and mental health obstacles experienced by pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated policies.

Compare

We can compare experiences of pregnant women in different waves (and thus between more stringent or loosened policies) of the pandemic and identify the added burden they have experienced.

Inform

We can educate policymakers to ensure that if any future catastrophes occur, guidelines related to those unusual events consider both the welfare of the general population and of pregnant women.

Participants

To collect as many experiences as possible, the CONCEPTION study was launched on various social media platforms
and consists of a web-based questionnaire so that participants may fill it at their leisure. Phone
assistance was also offered in a number of languages. The questionnaire takes about 20 minutes and is entirely
anonymous, if so desired. Women who are 18 years and older AND are either currently pregnant or are not currently pregnant but
delivered between March 13, 2020 and now are invited to participate.

At the end of the questionnaire, participants are invited to participate in a follow-up questionnaire at 2 and 18 months
following their delivery. As time goes, other initiatives may arise. Stay tuned for more!