4. Qualitative Study

As a follow-up to the SHAPES research, we carried out a project to hear from pregnant women about their views and experiences of taking part in the different body measurements during early pregnancy. These measurements included waist and hip size, skinfold thickness, and ultrasound checks of fat tissue.

This project was carried out by researcher Susan Lennie, who spoke to 14 women from Stage One of SHAPES, making sure to include a range of ages, pregnancy histories, and body sizes.

We wanted to understand how some of the SHAPES participants felt about having the extra body fat measurements taken during their dating scan appointment, as well as to better understand their experience and perspective of having these measurements taken.

General feedback

Most women described the experience as neutral or positive: “fine,” “straightforward,” or “no issue.” A few felt personally comfortable but recognised that others might find certain measurements more sensitive.

“I think it’s something that’s quite positive because it’s taking
into consideration you individually, rather than your BMI”

Physical and emotional comfort

The comments included:

skinfold measurements felt slightly “pinchy” but not painful
neck measurements felt unusual simply because they were unfamiliar
feeling mildly self‑conscious, especially around body image
that some of the measurements could be difficult for people with past trauma

Privacy and personal space

The women commented that they valued the private room and respect around being touched.

“The person taking the measurements was very considerate...I didn’t have someone completely in my personal space. I think they were very conscientious of that”

Time and effort

The measurements only took around 10 minutes and some of the mums commented that moving between rooms or waiting around was more inconvenient than the measurements themselves.

Clothing adjustments were easy especially when the women had been told what to wear beforehand: “I think some of the documentation prior had sort of said wear something loose for your top that you know can be changed. And I think just knowing that they were taking measurements like I think I wore just sort of leggings or something that was appropriate for them to measure over.”

Choice and consent

The women who took part in this project emphasised the importance of:

clear explanations
being asked for consent throughout
having the option to decline
choosing whether their partner attends the measurements
choosing the gender of the person doing the measurements

What this could mean for maternity care

The key feedback included the importance of:

clear communication before and during appointments
trauma‑aware, respectful practice
privacy and autonomy
ongoing consent
flexibility around partner or chaperone involvement

The insights provided in this study suggest that adding these measurements to routine maternity care is acceptable to women, especially with privacy, good communication and an understanding of why the measurements are being taken.

This follow-on study has now been published in a scientific journal, you can read more about the here: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/13/20/2558