The double-edged scalpel: Experiences and perceptions of pregnancy and parenthood during Canadian surgical residency training

Only 34% of Canadian surgeons in 2022 were female. The protracted length of surgical residency training, concerns regarding infertility, and increased rates of obstetrical complications have been shown to contribute to the disproportionate lack of females in surgical specialties. A novel online survey was sent to all surgical residents in Canada. Respondents were asked about perceptions of pregnancy and parenthood during surgical training, and parents were asked about parental leave, accommodations they received, and pregnancy complications. Chi squared tests were used to compare opinions of male and female residents. A total of 272/2,419 (11.2%) responses were obtained, with a high response from females (61.8%) and orthopaedic residents (29.0%). There were 56 women reporting 76 pregnancy events during training, 62.5% of which had complications. Notably, 27.3% of men and 86.7% of women 'agreed' or 'strongly agreed' that surgeons have higher pregnancy complication rates than the general population (p