Abstract
BackgroundPelvic girdle pain (PGP) is a commonly reported maternal morbidity that negatively impacts the well-being of women during pregnancy and extends long term into the post-partum period. The burden of maternal morbidity; including pregnancy-related PGP; has been overlooked in Ethiopia to date. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and identify factors associated with pelvic girdle pain during pregnancy in North West Ethiopia.MethodsA hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant women visiting the antenatal care clinic in Obstetrics ‘outpatient department at the University of Gondar comprehensive specialized hospital in Gondar. Data were collected by interview method using structured questionnaires, patient medical record reviews, and physical measurements. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression model analyses were used to identify factors associated with PGP.ResultsA total of 424 participants with gestational ages ranging from 6 to 39 weeks participated in this study. The age of the study participants ranged from 18 to 44 years with a mean age of (27 ± 4.6 years). The overall cumulative prevalence of pelvic girdle pain among pregnant women was 103 (24.3%),95% CI (20.3, 28.8). The major associated factors with pelvic girdle pain were previous history of pelvic girdle pain (AOR 16.08; 95% CI, 8.47–30.51), previous history of back pain (AOR 1.66; 95% CI, 1.5–4.24) and having children (AOR 1.42; 95% CI, 1.29–3.76).ConclusionOne-quarter of pregnant Ethiopian women reported pelvic girdle pain. PGP must be considered as major pregnancy-related morbidity, and progress in the intervention of PGP is vital to enhance the quality of life in this population.
Highlights
Pelvic girdle pain (PGP) is a commonly reported maternal morbidity that negatively impacts the wellbeing of women during pregnancy and extends long term into the post-partum period
The present study found that previous history of PGP and back pain has a significant association with the current pelvic girdle pain among pregnant women
Previous pelvic girdle pain, and back pain are factors predicting the risk of pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain (PPGP)
Summary
Pelvic girdle pain (PGP) is a commonly reported maternal morbidity that negatively impacts the wellbeing of women during pregnancy and extends long term into the post-partum period. Maternal well-being has gained focus after global progress in maternal mortality reduction, and pelvic girdle pain (PGP) has garnered substantial interest by pelvic health professionals worldwide [1, 2]. Like many other African countries, maternal morbidity and mortality are still unacceptably high, and maternal health is one of the top priorities in the Ethiopian national agenda. The global maternal mortality rate (MMR) 2015 is 216, the MMR of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is 546, and Ethiopia is among those SSA countries with high MMR, 412. The UNFPA report on maternal health in Africa estimated that for every woman who dies, 20–30 women suffer short-or-long term disabilities, including chronic pain. According to the EDHS 2016 report, only 17% of women attend postnatal care, which emphasizes the importance of estimating the burden of morbidity in this population during the ante-natal period [6,7,8,9]
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