Risk factors related to development of pelvic pain during pregnancy

About 70&% of women suffer of pelvic pain during pregnancy. The physiological processes characterizing this clinical entity remain obscure. Given the high prevalence of this pain, this study was performed aimed to investigate the risk factors associated with pelvic pain during pregnancy in pregnant women referred to Shahidan Mobini Hospital in Sabzevar.

This case-control study was done in 2018 on 120 pregnant women, of which 12 (10%) were at first trimester of pregnancy and 108 (90%) were at third trimester of pregnancy, in Shahidan Mobini Sabzevar Hospital. A researcher-made questionnaire that its validity and reliability were confirmed and standard checklist were used for data collection. The questionnaire consisted of two parts: demographic characteristics of the samples and questions related to the risk factors, and the checklist included the results of the samples' examinations to determine some risk factors. Data were analyzed using STATA software.

Among pregnant women with pelvic pain, 4 (10%) reported mild ligamentous looseness, 3 (7.5%) had a history of pelvic girdle trauma, 17 (43.1%) had a history of low back pain in previous pregnancy, 20 (50%) had a history of low back pain before pregnancy and 10 (25%) had unsatisfactory sexual activity. Results showed that there was a significant relationship between unsatisfactory sexual relations (P=0.008), history of low back pain before pregnancy (P=0.001) or in previous pregnancy (P=0.001) or pelvic pain during pregnancy. However, there was no significant relationship between pelvic pain and place of residence, smoking, ligamentous looseness, occupation and other risk factors (P≥0.05).

In this study, history of low back pain in previous pregnancy, history of low back pain before pregnancy, and unsatisfactory sexual activity were identified as risk factors for pelvic pain. Identification of these risk factors can be helpful in controlling the factors exacerbating pelvic pain during pregnancy and preventing movement restrictions in postpartum women.