Academic Editor: Michael H. Dahan
Background: During pregnancy, many hormonal, anatomical, and
musculoskeletal changes occur. These changes alter the postural balance and
increase the risk of falls. Falls during pregnancy can cause maternal and foetal
injuries. In our analysis, we focused on women who fell as a result of gait and
balance alterations. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the
incidence of falls in our study population. The secondary objective was to
identify the risk factors for falls during pregnancy. Methods: 165
healthy singleton pregnant women were included in the study. The participants
were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their sociodemographic
information, baseline health status and medical history, a detailed interview
about potential falls during pregnancy, and a Modified Falls Efficacy Scale
(MFES) questionnaire. A blood sample was taken to determine the baseline total
circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) level. Based on the evaluation of the
questionnaires, we then divided the participants into two groups—the first
group consisted of women who experienced a fall during pregnancy, and the rest of
the participating pregnant women were included in the control group. Comparing
the two groups, we analysed selected demographic data and a number of other
variables including weight gain, the amount of exercise performed during
pregnancy, and the participants’ vitamin D levels. Results: The
incidence of falls in our study was 12.73%. We found that age was the only
statistically significant independent risk factor for falls during pregnancy
(p-value: 0.0267). We found no statistical difference between the two
groups regarding their levels of serum vitamin D. We also compared relevant
variables in patients who feared the possibility of a fall and those who did not.
We concluded that this fear was mainly associated with participants with BMI