# Low back pain, pelvic pain, and associated factors in type 1 diabetic pregnant women

## TL;DR

This study finds that type 1 diabetic pregnant women experience moderate low back and pelvic pain, especially in the second trimester, with longer diabetes duration increasing the likelihood of pain.

## Contribution

The study identifies diabetes duration as a novel predictor of pain in type 1 diabetic pregnant women.

## Key findings

- Low back pain and pelvic pain occur in 55.6% and 30.6% of type 1 diabetic pregnant women.
- Diabetes duration of 17 years or more significantly increases the risk of pain (OR = 11.2).
- Anxiety and urinary incontinence were not associated with increased pain in these women.

## Abstract

•DM1 is associated with changes in skeletal muscle functionality.•During pregnancy, the incidence of low back pain and pelvic pain is moderate and the presence of DM1 may be associated with the early appearance of this symptom.•The study demonstrated that pregnant women with DM1 complain of pain with a moderate incidence in the second trimester of pregnancy.•Factors such as length of illness are related to the higher frequency of pain in pregnant women with DM1.

DM1 is associated with changes in skeletal muscle functionality.

During pregnancy, the incidence of low back pain and pelvic pain is moderate and the presence of DM1 may be associated with the early appearance of this symptom.

The study demonstrated that pregnant women with DM1 complain of pain with a moderate incidence in the second trimester of pregnancy.

Factors such as length of illness are related to the higher frequency of pain in pregnant women with DM1.

Pregnancy and diabetes mellitus promote several musculoskeletal changes predisposing this population to complaints of Lower Back (LB) and Pelvic Pain (PP).

To assess the frequency of LB and PP and associated factors in type 1 Diabetic (DM1) pregnant women. Method: An observational analytical cross-sectional study. Thirty-six pregnant women with DM1 were evaluated through a postural assessment with a focus on pelvic positioning and what patients reported. The associated factors were assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form (ICIQ-SF), and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI).

The frequency of LB and PP was 55.6 % and 30.6 %, respectively. The presence of anxiety was not associated with a higher prevalence of pain. The incidence of sexual dysfunctions was higher in the GD. DM1 duration had a mean of 14.9 years (± 8.2 SD) in the GD and 9.0 years (± 6.9 SD) in the GSD, which was statistically significant (p ≤ 0.050). In the multiple binary regression analysis for the occurrence of pain, the independent factor was DM1 duration ≥ 17 years (OR = 11.2; 95 % CI = 1.02‒124.75). The association between DM1 duration ≥ 17 years and being overweight showed a probability of 95 % for the studied population in the analysis of the probabilities of occurrence of the pain event.

There was a high frequency of LB and PP related to pregnancy in DM1 pregnant women in the second trimester of pregnancy. The incidence of sexual dysfunction and DM1 duration ≥ 17 years increases the chance that DM1 pregnant women will experience pain. There was no association between anxiety. urinary incontinence and pain in DM1 pregnant women.