What it means
بارداری (bârdâri) is the standard Persian noun for pregnancy. It is pure Persian, formed from بار (bâr), meaning load or burden, and the suffix -دار (-dâr) plus the abstract nominalizer -ی (-i), giving the meaning the state of carrying a load. The related adjective باردار (bârdâr) means pregnant. In medical and official contexts بارداری is preferred over the Arabic-rooted حامله (hâmele) as the noun form, though both coexist freely. You will see بارداری on clinic signage, pregnancy test packaging, and maternal health campaigns across Iran.
How to use it
- دوران بارداری خیلی مهمه. (dowrân-e bârdâri kheyli mohemme.) “The pregnancy period is very important.”
- بارداری اول همیشه استرس داره. (bârdâri-ye avval hamishe estres dâre.) “A first pregnancy always comes with stress.”
- پزشکم بارداری رو تأیید کرد. (pezeshkam bârdâri ro ta’yid kard.) “My doctor confirmed the pregnancy.”
- بارداری ناخواسته یه مشکل جدیه. (bârdâri-ye nâkhâste ye moshkel-e joddihe.) “An unwanted pregnancy is a serious problem.”
Cultural note
Iran has a well-developed maternal healthcare infrastructure, and بارداری is the official term used in public health communications, prenatal programs, and medical paperwork. The government has historically alternated between pro-natalist and family-planning policies: in the 1980s large families were encouraged; in the 1990s a successful family-planning program was introduced; and from 2012 onward the government reversed course again with financial incentives for larger families. This policy history means that بارداری appears in public discourse both as a celebrated state and, for many women, as a pressure point tied to demographic politics.