10% pregnant women in pain

Although there is no clear medical evidence for “pelvic instability,” nearly 10 percent of Dutch pregnant women believe they suffer from this.

Pelvic instability is commonly used to refer to pelvic girdle pain that occurs during pregnancy. Women who believe they suffer from this are less mobile than women who do not or who have only back pain.

These are some of the conclusions in Geerte van de Pol’s doctoral thesis. She also concludes that a good emotional relationship with one’s partner, absence of symptoms of depression, or specific personal characteristics do not reduce the risk that a pregnant woman will have to have an assisted vaginal delivery or emergency Cesarean section.

Van de Pol received her PhD from Utrecht University on October 2. The title of her thesis is, “The influence of psychosocial factors on pregnancy-related pelvic symptoms.”