Measuring perinatal and postpartum quality of life of women and associated factors in semi-urban Bangladesh

Purpose: The objective of this study was to measure the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among pregnant women in the perinatal and postpartum periods and determine influencing factors that predict their HRQoL.

Methods: The study was conducted among pregnant women who live in a semi-urban area of Chandpur, Bangladesh. A total of 465 women were recruited. The EuroQoL 5-Dimension 3-Level (EQ-5D-3L) and EuroQoL visual analog scale (EQ-VAS) instruments were used to measure the HRQoL of participants. Two-sample mean test (t test) was performed to examine the changes in HRQoL between the perinatal and postnatal periods of the same individuals. Multivariate linear regression was employed to identify the factors influencing HRQoL during the two periods.

Results: Overall, the HRQoL scores improved significantly from the perinatal (0.49) to postpartum (0.86) period. Approximately 58% of women experienced moderate or extreme levels of health problems during the perinatal period regardless of their health status. However, most women had significantly improved health status in the postpartum period. Gestational weight gain and recommended postnatal care were significantly associated with improved HRQoL. Factors that negatively influenced changes in HRQoL included adolescent motherhood, caesarean delivery, inadequate antenatal care consultations and living in a poor household, during both the perinatal and postpartum periods.

Conclusions: Overall health status is found to be poor among women during the perinatal period compared with the postpartum period. The study indicates that interventions to address the influencing factors are needed to ensure better quality of life for women both pre- and post-birth. Community-based initiatives, such as awareness building, might address negative factors and subsequently improve health status and reduce adverse health outcomes related to pregnancy and postnatal care.