‘Pregnant women, like the rest of the population, have chronic or acute conditions that require medical treatment,’ says Hedvig Nordeng. She recently won the NAR Brain Power Award for her research.

We often focus on the body when thinking about pregnancy, birth, and the first months with a new baby. But what about when mothers return to work? Sunniva Rivedal’s master's thesis shows how the body plays a central role in maternal experiences of caring for young children.

In Nicaragua, the authorities want more women to give birth in hospital. The aim for better figures overshadow the quality of the health care service to poor women, according to Birgit Kvernflaten.

In 1967, Norwegian women were finally allowed to decide for themselves when to get pregnant. The contraceptive pill has had enormous significance for women’s emancipation, but researchers doubt whether it would have been approved today.

According to Norwegian researchers, the nursing breast has a safe place within the cafe scene, but they warn against increasing puritanism and less rights for the mother.

While western couples get their longed-for child, Indian surrogate mothers are left with a feeling of having sacrificed more than they have gained. Surrogacy can never become a win-win situation, according to anthropologist Kristin Engh Førde.

The debate concerning reproductive technology in Norway challenges the limits for what is considered natural pregnancy.

According to sociologist Ingvill Stuvøy, the debate on surrogacy has added new meanings to the concept of equality.

Pregnant women dissatisfied in their relationship have an increased risk of infectious diseases. This also affects their children.

Most pregnant women whose foetus is proven to have a genetic abnormality choose to have an abortion, but reaching that decision is a painful, exhausting process for most of them. “The women’s doubt, pain and sorrow make abortion more moral – in the eyes of society as well as her own,” says Sølvi Marie Risøy, a researcher at the University of Bergen.

Many Norwegian women postpone pregnancy until they have completed their education and are well established on their career path. This may make them more vulnerable to postpartum depression.