Breastfeeding and pelvic girdle pain: a follow‐up study of 10 603 women 18 months after delivery

• Published in: BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology 2015-12, Vol.122 (13), p.1765-1771
• Main Authors: Bjelland, E. K., Owe, K. M., Stuge, B, Vangen, S, Eberhard‐Gran, M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Breast Feeding - statistics & numerical data; Breastfeeding; Breastfeeding & lactation; Childbirth & labor; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; lactation; Longitudinal Studies; Norway - epidemiology; Pain; pelvic girdle pain; Pelvic Girdle Pain - epidemiology; Postpartum Period; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications - epidemiology; prognosis; prognostic factors; Risk Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study
• ISSN: 1470-0328; 1471-0528
• DOI: 10.1111/1471-0528.13118

Objective To study the associations of patterns and duration of breastfeeding with the persistence of pelvic girdle pain 18 months after delivery. Design Longitudinal population study. Setting Norway, for the period 1999–2011. Population A follow‐up of 10 603 women with singleton deliveries in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study who reported pelvic girdle pain at 0–3 months postpartum. Methods Data were obtained by four self‐administered questionnaires and linked to the Medical Birth Registry of Norway. Main outcome measure Pelvic girdle pain, defined as combined anterior and bilateral posterior pelvic pain, 18 months after delivery. Results Eighteen months after delivery, 7.8% of respondents (829/10 603) reported pelvic girdle pain. Breastfeeding patterns at 5 months after delivery were not associated with persistence of pelvic girdle pain. The proportion of women with pelvic girdle pain 18 months after delivery increased as the duration of breastfeeding decreased (test for trend, P