Background: Achieving the optimal quality of life is currently a health challenge for the world’s population. Pregnancy is a stressful period of life that affects women’s quality of life. Aims: This study aimed to describe and analyse the health-related quality of life in pregnant women during their first trimester in a health area in the north of Spain. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out. A total of 359 women completed the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey. Results: The sample consisted of 57.9% primiparous women, 30% had experienced a previous abortion, and 7.2% were foreign women. The mean age was 33.53 years. The sum of the physical and mental component values was below 50 points. Notably, 4.17% of women reported a worsening of their health in the last year, and 28.69% had an increased depression risk. Conclusion: Being a foreigner, prenatal abortion, previous caesarean section, previous children, or assisted reproduction techniques are the variables that have a negative association with some dimensions of quality of life in pregnant women.

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has had numerous maternal and neonatal consequences, especially at the mental level. Pregnant women experience a rise in anxiety symptoms and prenatal stress.AimsThe aim was to describe self-perceived health status, general stress and prenatal stress and to analyze relations and associations with sociodemographic factors.MethodsA quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted using non-probabilistic circumstantial sampling. The sample was recruited during the first trimester of pregnancy during the control obstetrical visit. The Google Forms platform was used. A total of 297 women participated in the study. The Prenatal Distress Questionnaire (PDQ), the Perceived Stress Score (PSS) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) were used.ResultsPrimiparas presented higher levels of worry about childbirth and the baby (10.93 ± 4.73) than multiparous women (9.88 ± 3.96). Somatic symptoms were present in 6% of the women. Anxiety-insomnia was scored positively by 18% of the women. In the Spearman correlation analysis, statistically significant values were found between almost all study variables. A positive correlation was observed between self-perceived health and prenatal and general stress levels.DiscussionDuring the first trimester of gestation, prenatal concerns increase when levels of anxiety, insomnia and depression also increase. There is a clear relationship between prenatal worries, anxiety, insomnia and depression with stress. Health education that focuses on mental health of pregnant women would help reduce worries during pregnancy and would improve the pregnant women perception of her health and well-being.