Representações sociais de mulheres vivendo em situação de rua a respeito do ciclo gravídico-puerperal

Objective: to know the social representations of women living on the streets about the pregnancy-puerperal cycle. Method: qualitative research guided by the assumptions of the Theory of Social Representations, with 12 women. Adult women who experienced the entire pregnancy-puerperal period in the streets were included. An interview supported the data collection and the categorization of results was performed by content analysis. Results: the participants share an interrupted family process, seeking the street to maintain life and as a way of escape from family and / or social oppression. They feel vulnerable as they are exposed to risk behaviors inherent to the environment. They reinforced the inefficiency of social support networks for women during pregnancy and childbirth, male subordination and the neglect of society. Conclusion: the participants' social representations are marked by fear of urban violence and insecurity about their health and that of the baby. The findings, unprecedented in our country, point out weaknesses in social equipment, especially because these women are not linked to health services and social invisibility.