Pregnancy is the period of reproduction during which a member of a species (typically, but not always, a female) carries one or more live offspring from implantation through gestation.
Obstetrics was the branch of medical science that specialized in the care of lifeforms during pregnancy, childbirth, and the subsequent recovery period following delivery. Those who practiced this form of medicine were known as obstetricians or obstetrics specialists. (VOY: "Prototype"; TNG: "Lessons")
Human Pregnancy
Human females typically carry their children for nine months. Females typically suffer from morning sickness and wake up feeling nauseous, though morning sickness usually ends after the first trimester. Additionally, they often gain extra weight and suffer mood swings. Having contractions is not uncommon in the late months of pregnancy. (DS9: "Body Parts", "What You Leave Behind"; TNG: "Disaster")
Bajoran Pregnancy
Bajoran females carry their children for less than five months and because they have a short gestation period, they vascularize very quickly forming a complex interconnecting network of blood vessels with their children. Bajoran women don't suffer from morning sickness like humans, but are instead prone to uncontrollable fits of sneezing. (DS9: "Body Parts")
Ferengi Pregnancy
On the planet Ferenginar, pregnancy is considered a rental, and as a lessee, the male Ferengi has certain rights. (DS9: "Nor the Battle to the Strong")
- Worf also stated that a male should have some say in what a pregnant female can and cannot do, indicating that Klingons may view pregnancy in a similar fashion.
Male Pregnancy
Tucker pregnant with a Xyrillian.
On Earth, the majority of all pregnancies are carried by female organisms. In 2151, after an encounter with a female Xyrillian, Charles Tucker III became the first recorded Human male to become pregnant (though he was more of a carrier of genetic information than an actual biological parent and never carried the child to term). (ENT: "Unexpected")
Males of Vilix'pran's species, a winged race from the Alpha or Beta Quadrant, were known to carry their young (refered to as budding). (DS9: "Heart of Stone")
- Male pregnancy in non-humans may be relatively common, as Quark became confused when he mistook that Miles O'Brien was pregnant instead of his wife, Keiko, stating "I thought your females carried your young."" It is also possible that Quark was joking. (DS9: "Accession")
Complications of Pregnancy
There are both routine problems and serious, even potentially fatal problems with pregnancy. Ensign Samantha Wildman experienced many difficulties with her pregnancy onboard the USS Voyager, including shooting pains in the lower back and legs. (VOY: "Tattoo")
Caffeine intake during pregnancy should typically be limited to avoid complications or negatively affecting infant development. Miles O'Brien had Quark develop a decaffeinated raktajino (which Quark marketed as Quarktajino) for a pregnant Kira Nerys, though the beverage ended up being undrinkable. (DS9: "Nor the Battle to the Strong")
Pregnancies involving a hybrid being can sometimes result in complications. During the delivery of Samantha Wildman's child, its Ktarian ridges lodged in the uteran wall. This threatened to rupture the uterus and cause internal bleeding and possibly death. While the child was safely transported out of Wildman, it did not survive because of a power loss to critical medical equipment. However, the same procedure was performed aboard a duplicate Voyager and was successful and was brought over before the duplicate Voyager was destroyed. She was given the name Naomi. (VOY: "Deadlock")
Bashir checking on Ekoria's baby
List of Pregnancies
- Ekoria (DS9: "The Quickening")
- Eleen (TOS: "Friday's Child")
- Gracie (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)
- Kathryn Janeway (VOY: "Threshold")
- K'Ehleyr (TNG: "The Emissary"; revealed in TNG: "Reunion")
- Kes (alternate timeline; VOY: "Before and After")
- Kira Nerys (DS9: "Body Parts" to DS9: "The Begotten")
- Lursa of the House of Duras (TNG: "Firstborn")
- Mika (DS9: "Covenant")
- Keiko O'Brien (TNG: "Disaster") and (DS9: "Accession" to DS9: "Body Parts")
- Alyssa Ogawa (TNG: "Genesis")
- Spot (TNG: "Genesis")
- B'Elanna Torres (VOY: "Lineage" to VOY: "Endgame")
- Deanna Troi (TNG: "The Child")
- Lwaxana Troi (DS9: "The Muse")
- Charles Tucker III (ENT: "Unexpected")
- Vilix'pran (budding) (DS9: "Heart of Stone" and DS9: "Apocalypse Rising")
- Samantha Wildman (VOY: "Caretaker" to VOY: "Deadlock"; found out in VOY: "Elogium")
- Yanar (TNG: "The Outrageous Okona")
- Kasidy Yates (DS9: "The Dogs of War" through DS9: "What You Leave Behind")
Background
Actors that have been pregnant while playing roles on Star Trek have included Gates McFadden, Roxann Dawson, and Nana Visitor. McFadden's and Dawson's pregnancies were hidden on-screen, while a surrogate pregnancy was written into Visitor's character, Kira Nerys, in "Body Parts".