Less Than Half of Women Report Pregnancy-Related Lumbopelvic Pain to Providers

Providers should ask about pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain and treat if interfering with activities of daily living

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, August 24, 2023 (HealthDay News) – Less than half of pregnant women with pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain (PLPP) report it to their health care provider, according to a study published online Aug. 3 in Journal of Women’s Health.

Farah Hameed, M.D., from Columbia University in New York, and colleagues surveyed pregnant women attending a prenatal visit in obstetric offices from July 2018 through March 2020 to assess the proportion of pregnant women who report PLPP during pregnancy to their health care providers.

The researchers identified 538 participants with PLPP, but only 43 percent reported it to their provider. Among the women who did report, 22 percent received treatment, and of these women, 80 percent said treatment was effective. Difficulty with daily mobility and greater week of gestation were associated with an increased likelihood of informing providers about PLPP.

“Health care providers should inquire about PLPP throughout pregnancy,” the authors write. “Any level of PLPP should be reported and monitored by a patient’s health care provider, and if it is interfering with activities of daily living, sleeping, or quality of life, it should be treated.”

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