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Pregnancy

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Multiple realities
(covers information from several alternate timelines)
Data and a pregnant Troi

Data and a noticeably pregnant Deanna Troi

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. As Jean-Luc Picard once succinctly noted of Deanna Troi, "She's pregnant. She's going to have a baby." (TNG: "The Child")

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")

Pregnant women often experienced increased hunger. In 2375, at a First Contact Day party, Harry Kim told B'Elanna Torres to leave some food for the other partygoers. She explained that she was "eating for two" (herself and her growing baby). (VOY: "Homestead")

Though contraception injections prevented pregnancy, a lapse by one partner could lead to conception regardless. (DS9: "The Dogs of War")

Announcing a pregnancy[]

When Miramanee announced her pregnancy to "Kirok" in 2268, she showed him a cradleboard. (TOS: "The Paradise Syndrome")

In 2375, Kasidy Yates-Sisko stayed up late to inform Benjamin Sisko that she was pregnant. (DS9: "The Dogs of War")

Species variations[]

Bajorans[]

Bajoran females carried their children for less than five months and, because they had a short gestation period, they vascularized very quickly, forming a complex interconnecting network of blood vessels with their children. Bajoran women did not experience nausea during morning sickness like Humans, but were instead prone to uncontrollable fits of sneezing, back pain, insomnia, (DS9: "The Darkness and the Light"), and swelling of the ankles (DS9: "Looking for Par'Mach in All the Wrong Places"). In 2373, Doctor Bashir attempted to develop a small respirator to alleviate Kira's sneezing. (DS9: "Body Parts", "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places")

Bajoran women were commonly given Makara herbs in order to maintain their progesterone levels during pregnancy, though the herbs counteracted sedatives such as merfadon. (DS9: "The Darkness and the Light")

Betazoids[]

Female Betazoids carried their young for ten months. Sometimes, when carrying Betazoid babies, Betazoid mothers could telepathically sense the infant's thoughts. (TNG: "The Child"; DS9: "The Muse")

Breen[]

Among the Breen, a warlike species, pregnancy at a young age is a common event. (VOY: "Elogium")

Ferengi[]

On the planet Ferenginar, pregnancy was considered a rental, and as a lessee, the male Ferengi had certain rights. (DS9: "Nor the Battle to the Strong")

Humans[]

Human females typically carried their children for nine months. Females often suffered from morning sickness and woke up feeling nauseous, though morning sickness usually ended after the first trimester. Additionally, they often gained extra weight and suffered mood swings. Having contractions was not uncommon in the late months of pregnancy. (DS9: "Body Parts", "What You Leave Behind"; TNG: "Disaster")

Klingons[]

Klingon females carried their children for thirty weeks, though The Doctor believed that the gestation period for Klingon-Human hybrids would likely be less. The Doctor advised a pregnant B'Elanna Torres to expect mood swings during her pregnancy. (VOY: "Lineage")

Worf stated that a male should have some say in what a pregnant female could and could not do. (DS9: "Nor the Battle to the Strong")

Ocampa[]

Members of the Ocampa species typically become pregnant between the age of four and five. Females carry their young in a pouch on their back called a mitral sac. (VOY: "Elogium")

Scathos[]

Among the Scathos species, any woman who conceives a child before her fourth decade is summarily executed. (VOY: "Elogium")

Xindi-Primate[]

Anaprolean Fever could cause miscarriage in Xindi-Primate pregnancies. (ENT: "Azati Prime")

It was also implied that Xindi-Primate pregnancies lasted, at the least, three months.

Yridians[]

In the Yridian culture, a male that impregnates a female with no intentions of taking responsibility for his actions dishonors the female's family. Yranac claimed that if his sister were ever defiled in such a way, he would do or pay anything to find the person responsible. (TNG: "Gambit, Part I")

Atlec culture may have held similar beliefs. (TNG: "The Outrageous Okona")

Male pregnancy[]

Tucker pregnant, Unexpected

Tucker pregnant with a Xyrillian

On Earth, the majority of all pregnancies were 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")

Xyrillian males usually carried infants to term in a pouch on the upper chest. They served only as hosts, and the offspring only contained genetic material from the mother. Impregnation could occur with only minor physical contact and could be unintentional on the mother's part. Humans and Xyrillians were genetically compatible, as Charles Tucker III discovered when he was impregnated by a Xyrillian female. He also developed a nipple on his wrist. (ENT: "Unexpected")

Males of Vilix'pran's species, a winged race from the Alpha or Beta Quadrant, were known to carry their young (referred to as budding). (DS9: "Heart of Stone", "Apocalypse Rising")

Male pregnancy in non-Humans may have been relatively common, as Quark became confused when he thought 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[]

There were both routine and serious, even potentially fatal, problems with pregnancy. Ensign Samantha Wildman experienced many difficulties with her pregnancy on board USS Voyager, including shooting pains in the lower back and legs. (VOY: "Tattoo")

It was recommended that caffeine intake during pregnancy be limited to avoid complications or negatively affecting infant development. Miles O'Brien had Quark develop a decaffeinated raktajino (which Odo sarcastically referred to as Quarktajino) for a pregnant Kira Nerys, though the beverage ended up being undrinkable. (DS9: "Nor the Battle to the Strong")

Exposure to hazardous materials during pregnancy was also discouraged. (DS9: "Heart of Stone")

Pregnancies involving a hybrid being could sometimes result in complications. During the delivery of Samantha Wildman's child, its Ktarian ridges lodged in her uterine 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 the infant was brought over before the duplicate Voyager was destroyed. She was given the name Naomi. (VOY: "Deadlock")

Becoming ill or injured while pregnant could lead to the loss of the developing child. Degra's wife Naara lost their third child, Trenia, three months into her gestation due to Anaprolean Fever. (ENT: "Azati Prime")

While pregnant with her and "Kirok"'s baby in 2268, Miramanee died as a result of her injuries after being stoned, thus leading to the loss of her baby, too. (TOS: "The Paradise Syndrome")

Alyssa Ogawa lost her and Andrew Powell's baby due to temporal energy de-aging the fetus until its DNA broke down. (TNG: "All Good Things...")

List of pregnancies[]

Ekoria pregnant

Bashir checking on Ekoria's baby

Appendices[]

Background information[]

Actresses who have been pregnant while playing roles on Star Trek include Gates McFadden, Roxann Dawson, and Nana Visitor. McFadden's and Dawson's pregnancies were hidden on-screen (McFadden performed a complex stunt in "Remember Me" just before discovering she was pregnant), while a surrogate pregnancy was written into Visitor's character, Kira Nerys, in "Body Parts". Dawson's pregnancy was seen onscreen in the episodes "The Killing Game" and "The Killing Game, Part II". It was written into the character as a holographic pregnancy.

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