Open Access“The Burden of Pregnancy”; heavier for the heaviest? The changes in Health Related Quality of Life ( HRQ oL) assessed by the 15D instrument during pregnancy and postpartum in different body mass index groups: a longitudinal survey
Author(s) -
Sahrakorpi Niina,
Koivusalo Saila B.,
StachLempinen Beata,
Eriksson Johan G.,
Kautiainen Hannu,
Roine Risto P.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
acta obstetricia et gynecologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.401
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1600-0412
pISSN - 0001-6349
DOI - 10.1111/aogs.13068
Subject(s) - medicine , body mass index , pregnancy , edinburgh postnatal depression scale , obstetrics , gestation , quality of life (healthcare) , population , gestational age , gynecology , depressive symptoms , anxiety , psychiatry , genetics , nursing , environmental health , biology
Only little information is available on health‐related quality of life ( HRQ oL) and its changes during the course of a normal pregnancy. We studied changes in HRQ oL in a pregnant population during pregnancy and until 1 year postpartum in different body mass index ( BMI ) groups. Material and methods Seven hundred and fifty pregnant women attending the first ultrasound examination before gestational week 14 were invited to participate in a longitudinal, communal‐based survey. The participants were divided into three groups according to their BMI ; <25, 25–29.9, and ≥30 kg/m 2 . The women were asked to fill in questionnaires assessing HRQ oL (15D), depressive symptoms (Edinburgh Depression Scale, EPDS ), medical, obstetric and socioeconomic status at baseline. HRQ oL and EPDS were re‐assessed at 30 weeks of gestation, and 6 weeks, 3 and 12 months postpartum. Results Of the invited 750 mothers, 325 (43%) returned the questionnaires and at least one follow‐up questionnaire. At baseline, mean 15D scores decreased with increasing BMI but the difference was not statistically significant when adjusted for age, educational attainment, parity or EPDS ‐scores (0.929, 0.921 and 0.916, p = 0.16). During the course of pregnancy, the HRQ oL of all women decreased but this decrease was significantly greater in the obese group (−0.088; 95% CI −0.110 to −0.065) than in the other groups [−0.054 (95% CI −0.062 to −0.045) and −0.051 (95% CI −0.068 to −0.033), p = 0.019]. Within 3 months postpartum the mean HRQ oL recovered in all BMI groups to baseline levels, irrespective of the mode of delivery or pregnancy‐related complications. Conclusion The burden of pregnancy is heavier for the heaviest.