General Health during pregnancy and the post-partum period in women

Abstract

The present study was planned and executed with the aim to investigate general health during pregnancy and postpartum period among women. The sample comprised of 80 women who were selected from Indira Gandhi State Hospital, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, and were observed during first trimester and third trimester of pregnancy and one month postpartum. In order to study general health among women, General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) was used. Three sub-scales of GHQ-28: somatic symptoms, anxiety, and social dysfunction scores were taken to measure general health of the selected sample of women. One way repeated analysis of variance was carried out to investigate general health among these women for the three time periods, i.e., first trimester, third trimester of pregnancy and one month postdelivery. The results revealed that (i) Women experienced significantly more somatic symptoms during first trimester as compared to third trimester of pregnancy and postpartum period. (ii) Women experienced significantly higher level of anxiety during first trimester as compared to third trimester of pregnancy and postpartum period. (iii) Women were significantly more socially dysfunctional during postpartum period as compared to first and third trimester of pregnancy.