A qualitative exploration of autistic mothers' experiences I: Pregnancy experiences.

The non-autistic group all lived in the UK, while the autistic group lived in the UK, USA and Ireland, so healthcare system differences may have shaped some experiences. The non-autistic group had higher education and income than the autistic group, which may have given them better access to healthcare and amplified group differences. The autistic group were more likely to have co-occurring mental health conditions, so some reported experiences may relate to those conditions rather than autism alone. The study interviewed people who could take part verbally and had time and energy, so it may not represent autistic pregnant people with more severe communication difficulties or more challenging circumstances. Researchers were not blind to group membership, so interpretation of group differences may be influenced by bias. The study describes experiences and preferences; it did not test whether any adjustment improves care.

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. Funding included the Autism Research Trust; the Cambridge University MRC Doctoral Training Programme; Wellcome Trust; Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking, with support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme, EFPIA, AUTISM SPEAKS, Autistica and SFARI; Autistica; the MRC; the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre; and the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care East of England. The views expressed are the authors’ and not necessarily those of the funders.

Do not read these preferences as proof that communication or sensory adjustments improve maternity care. This qualitative study reports what participants experienced and valued, not tested interventions.