Exploring the Experience of Pain and Pain Management for Pregnant and Postpartum Veterans With Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain.

Background: To examine how veterans experience and treat pain during the perinatal period, we conducted a qualitative study to explore the experiences of pain, pain management, and facilitators and barriers to treatment among perinatal veterans.

Methods: We identified veterans who received care at 1 of 15 Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities across the United States and were enrolled in an ongoing cohort study. All participants gave birth to a newborn between March 2016 and June 2021 and met the inclusion criteria for having a prepregnancy pain-related musculoskeletal condition. We completed interviews with 30 veterans between November 2021 and January 2022. We used a framework approach to our qualitative analysis.

Results: Veterans in our sample were, on average, 31 years of age, married (80%), and white (47%). The most common type of pain diagnoses were back pain (93%) and joint disorders (73%). We identified the following major themes: 1) veteran experiences of pain during pregnancy, 2) challenges to pain care during the perinatal period, and 3) veteran recommendations for VHA perinatal pain care. Experiences of pain during pregnancy varied and several barriers to pain care were identified. Veterans suggested several ways the VHA could improve pain care during the perinatal period, including more training for VHA providers on perinatal pain care and greater complementary and integrative health coverage.

Conclusions: Understanding the unique needs of pregnant veterans with chronic pain is important to provide high-quality care during the perinatal period. Veterans who participated in this study highlighted several areas where the VHA could improve pain management during pregnancy and postpartum.