Pelvic Girdle Pain at 36 Weeks of Pregnancy and Two Years Postpartum: Associations With Biopsychosocial Factors

To examine associations between biopsychosocial factors and pelvic girdle pain (PGP) at pregnancy week 36 and two years postpartum.

In this longitudinal observational cohort study, data were drawn from the Swedish Pregnancy Panel and the Swedish Pregnancy Register. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine predictors of PGP at both time points.

Among 1,229 respondents, 34.0% reported PGP during pregnancy only, 11.9% at two years postpartum only, and 32.2% at both time points. Predictors of PGP during pregnancy included reduced physical activity (OR = 0.81, 95% CI 0.73-0.90), poorer sleep quality (OR = 0.69, 0.62-0.77), younger maternal age (OR = 0.89, 0.84-0.94), multiparity (OR = 0.40, 0.25-0.63), and higher birthweight (OR = 1.53, 1.06-2.19). Predictors of PGP two years postpartum included prior PGP during pregnancy (OR = 1.39, 1.06-1.82), ongoing worry (OR = 1.25, 1.09-1.42), poorer physical health (OR = 0.70, 0.54-0.91), and lower trust in healthcare (OR = 0.70, 0.55-0.90).

Both physical and psychosocial factors were associated with PGP during pregnancy and at two years postpartum. PGP at two years postpartum was particularly associated with emotional distress and lower trust in healthcare, highlighting the importance of integrated, person-centred maternity care and relational continuity. Midwives may play a key role in early identification of women at risk and in strengthening trust and emotional support, which may contribute to reducing the risk of PGP at two years postpartum.

BMI, body mass index; CI, confidence intervals; GDPR, the general data protection regulation; NPRS, numeric pain rating scale; OR, odds ratio; PGP, pelvic girdle pain; SD, standard deviation; SES, socio economic status; STROBE, the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines; SPP, the Swedish Pregnancy Panel; SPR, the Swedish Pregnancy Register; VAS, visual analogue scale.