Author(s)

Yuko Uemura^1*, Toshiyuki Yasui², Kimiyo Horike³, Kazuhisa Maeda³, Hirokazu Uemura⁴, Mari Haku⁵, Reiko Sakae¹, Keiko Matsumura¹

¹Department of Nursing, Kagawa Prefectural University of Health Sciences, Kagawa, Japan.
²Department of Reproductive and Menopausal Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan.
³Shikoku Medical Center for Children and Adults, Kagawa, Japan.
⁴Department of Preventive Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan.
⁵Department of Midwifery, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan.

Background: Low back and pelvic pain (LBPP) as a physical symptom may cause psychological symptoms during pregnancy and the postpartum period. We examined the association of LBPP with mental health condition in women from pregnancy to puerperium in a prospective study. Methods: This study was conducted from March 2015 to December 2016 in a birth center in Kagawa Prefecture in Japan. We recruited 89 pregnant women who responded to questionnaires in all four stages (first, second and third trimesters and one week postpartum). We designed a self-administered questionnaire including a visual analog scale (VAS) of LBPP and Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS). Results: There were significant differences in EPDS scores and VAS scores among the 4 stages. The EPDS score at the first trimester showed significant positive correlations with VAS scores at the second and third trimesters, and the EPDS score at the second trimester showed a significant positive correlation with VAS score at the third trimester. The VAS scores at the second trimester showed significant positive correlations with EPDS scores at the third trimester and at one week postpartum. Conclusion: It was shown that the mental health condition at early pregnancy was related to an increase in LBPP at mid-pregnancy and that LBPP at mid-pregnancy was associated with the mental health condition thereafter.

Low Back Pain, Mental Health, Pregnancy, Prospective Study

Uemura, Y. , Yasui, T. , Horike, K. , Maeda, K. , Uemura, H. , Haku, M. , Sakae, R. and Matsumura, K. (2018) Association of Low Back and Pelvic Pain with Mental Health Condition during Pregnancy and Postpartum. Health, 10, 1650-1660. doi: 10.4236/health.2018.1012124.