Objective:

To analyze the experience of living with pre-eclampsia among women at the State of Mexico who are attended at the General Hospital of Chimalhuacan.

Method:

This is a qualitative research with a phenomenological and hermeneutic approach with the theoretical focus of Alfred Schütz. The sample was defined using the criteria of theoretical saturation. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview and analyzed using the Van Manen method. Six scientific rigor criteria were used: credibility, transferability, consistency, confirmability, relevance, and theoretical and epistemological adequacy.

Results:

Five categories emerged: 1) meaning of pre-eclampsy in daily life, 2) physical and emotional experience of living with pre-eclampsy, 3) interpretation of self-care in the daily life of women with pre-eclampsy, 4) supporting networks which help women survive the experience of having pre-eclampsy, and 5) meaning of the Health Services.

Conclusions:

Pre-eclampsy, a multi-factorial pregnancy illness with a high impact on Health Services, is one of the main causes of maternal deaths in Mexico. Because of their living in constant crisis, women with pre-eclampsy have higher vulnerability and risk of death, and their lives are affected both physically and emotionally. Here, it was ratified that supporting networks are critical to address this problem and strengthen these women's capacity to achieve a balance in their environment and daily life.