Abstract
BackgroundPregnancy-related Pelvic Girdle Pain (PPGP) is a common complaint. The aetiology remains unclear and reports on risk factors for PPGP provide conflicting accounts. The aim of this scoping review was to map the body of literature on risk factors for experiencing PPGP.MethodsWe searched the databases PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, MIDIRS, and ClinicalTrial.gov (3 August 2020). We selected studies with two reviewers independently. Observational studies assessing risk factors for PPGP were included. Studies examining specific diagnostic tests or interventions were excluded.ResultsWe identified 5090 records from databases and 1077 from ClinicalTrial.gov. Twenty-four records met the inclusion criteria. A total of 148 factors were examined of which only 14 factors were examined in more than one study. Factors that were positively associated with PPGP included a history of low back or pelvic girdle pain, being overweight/obese, already having a child, younger age, lower educational level, no pre-pregnancy exercise, physically demanding work, previous back trauma/disease, progestin-intrauterine device use, stress, depression and anxiety.ConclusionsA large number of factors have been examined as potential risk factors for PPGP, but there is a lack of repetition to be able to draw stronger conclusions and pool studies in systematic reviews. Factors that have been examined in more than five studies include age, body mass index, parity and smoking. We suggest a systematic review be conducted to assess the role of these factors further in the development of PPGP.
Highlights
Pregnancy-related Pelvic Girdle Pain (PPGP) is a common complaint
The main focus has been on the hormone relaxin, which is thought to increase pelvic laxity, yet evidence from clinical studies examining the association between relaxin and PPGP is of low quality with inconsistent results [14]
In their paper on the clinical presentation of PPGP, Wu et al [19] included a structured review on risk factors and interpreted evidence as strong, weak, conflicting, or no evidence based on the number of studies, but numerous studies have been published since
Summary
Pregnancy-related Pelvic Girdle Pain (PPGP) is a common complaint. The aetiology remains unclear and reports on risk factors for PPGP provide conflicting accounts. The aim of this scoping review was to map the body of literature on risk factors for experiencing PPGP. The main focus has been on the hormone relaxin, which is thought to increase pelvic laxity, yet evidence from clinical studies examining the association between relaxin and PPGP is of low quality with inconsistent results [14]. Guidelines, background sections of primary studies and patient information vary widely in what they report as risk factors for PPGP and often seem conflicting when compared [1, 17, 18]. In their paper on the clinical presentation of PPGP, Wu et al [19] included a structured review on risk factors and interpreted evidence as strong, weak, conflicting, or no evidence based on the number of studies, but numerous studies have been published since
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