Document Type : Original Article
Authors
- Ameneh Mansouri 1
- Mojgan Mirghafourvand 2
- Sakineh Mohammad Alizadeh Charandabi 2
- Farzaneh Khodabandeh 3
1 MSc., Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
2 Associate Professor, Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
3 MSc., Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzerar, Iran.
Abstract
Backgrounds Muscle cramp is a local, tangible, and involuntary spasm that usually involves the calf skeletal muscle; it is also one of the most common symptoms, particularly in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy. The current study aimed at determining the prevalence of leg cramps in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy and its relationship with nutritional behavior and consumption of supplements.
Methods & Materials The current cross sectional study was conducted on 439 pregnant females referred to Tabriz health care centers, Iran, from 2013 to 2014; the subjects were randomly selected from all pregnant females referred to the health care centers. Data were collected by a 4-part questionnaire including sociodemographic, obstetric characteristics, nutritional behavior of sub-health promotion lifestyle questionnaire (HPLP-2), and information about the features of leg cramps. Data were analyzed by descriptive and analytical statistics including independent t, Pearson correlation, and Chi-square tests.
Results According to the results of the current study, 57.9% of the participants developed leg cramps in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) of the cramp numbers per week was 6.0±178.17, length of leg cramps 40.2±178.1 minutes, and severity of leg cramps 6.0±2.6. There was no significant correlation between the characteristics of leg cramps in pregnancy including number, length, severity, mean score of nutritional behavior, and consumption of supplements.
Conclusion Leg cramp is a common side effect in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy. It is the best to perform clinical trials to prevent and treat leg cramps during pregnancy.
Keywords
Young G. Leg cramp. Clinical Evidence. 2009; 15:1613.
Miller TM, Layzer RB. Muscle cramps. Muscle & Nerve. 2005; 32(4):431–42. doi: 10.1002/mus.20341
Valbø A, Bøhmer T. [Leg cramps in pregnancy--how common are they? (Norwegian)]. Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association. 1999; 119(11):1589-90. PMID: 10385800
Sohrabvand F, Karimi M. [Frequency and predisposing factors of leg cramps in pregnancy: A prospective clinical trial (Persian)]. Tehran University Medical Journal. 2009; 67(9):661-4.
Pittkin RM. Endocrine regulation of calcium homeostasis during pregnancy. Clinics in Perinatology. 1983; 10(3):575-92. PMID: 6360469
Riss P, Bartl W, Jelincic D. [Clinical aspects and treatment of calf muscle cramps during pregnancy (German)]. Women's Health. 1983; 43(5):329-31. doi: 10.1055/s-2008-1036902
Nygaard IH, Valbø A, Pethick SV, Bøhmer T. Does oral magnesium substitution relieve pregnancy-induced leg cramps? European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology. 2008; 141(1):23–6. doi: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2008.07.005
Hensley JG. Leg Cramps and restless legs syndrome during pregnancy. Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health. 2009; 54(3):211–8. doi: 10.1016/j.jmwh.2009.01.0
Reutrakul S, Zaidi N, Wroblewski K, Kay HH, Ismail M, Ehrmann DA, et al. Sleep disturbances and their relationship to glucose tolerance in pregnancy. Diabetes Care American Diabetes Association. 2011; 34(11):2454–7. doi: 10.2337/dc11-0780
Marques M, Bos S, Soares MJ, Maia B, Pereira AT, Valente J, et al. Is insomnia in late pregnancy a risk factor for postpartum depression/depressive symptomatology? Psychiatry Research. 2011; 186(2-3):272–80. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2010.06.029
Okun ML, Schetter CD, Glynn LM. Poor sleep quality is associated with preterm birth. Sleep. 2011; 34(11):1493-8. doi: 10.5665/sleep.1384
Lee KA, Gay CL. Sleep in late pregnancy predicts length of labor and type of delivery. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2004; 191(6):2041–6. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2004.05.086
Karami K, Bakhtiar K, Hasanvand B, Safary Sh , Hasanvand Sh. [A comparison of life quality and public health after natural and cesarean delivery in women referred to khorramabad health centers in 2009-2011 (Persian)]. Yafteh. 2012; 14(4):59-69.
Mohammad Alizadeh Charandabi S, Kamali Fard M, Ebrahimi Mamqani M, Asghari Jafarabadi M, Omidi F. [Evaluation of the nutritional behavior of women in first trimester of pregnancy and its relationship with some socio-demographic characteristics of whom referred to health centers in Karaj (Persian)]. Iranian Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility. 2012; 15(18):10-18.
Danesh Shahraki A. Effects of vitamin E, calcium carbonate and milk of magnesium on muscular cramps in pregnant women. Journal of Medical Sciences. 2006; 6(6):979–83. doi: 10.3923/jms.2006.979.983
Mokhtari M, Yaghmaee M, Mohammadi M. [The comparison of therapeutic effect of vitamin E on leg cramp during pregnancy (Persian)]. Iranian Journal of Obstetrics, Gyneocology and Infertility. 2002; 5(2):42-7.
Sohrabvand F, Shariat M, Haghollahi F. Vitamin B supplementation for leg cramps during pregnancy. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics. 2006; 95(1):48-9.doi: 10.1016/j.ijgo.2006.05.034
Dahle LO, Berg G, Hammar M, Hurtig M, Larsson L. The effect of oral magnesium substitution on pregnancy-induced leg cramps. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 1995; 173(1):175–80. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(95)90186-8
Hammar M, Larsson L, Tegler L. Calcium treatment of leg cramps in pregnancy: Effect on clinical symptoms and total serum and ionized serum calcium concentrations. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. 1981; 60(4):345–7. doi: 10.3109/00016348109154121
Baheiraei A, Mirghafourvand M, Charandabi SM-A, Mohammadi E, Nedjat S. Health-promoting behaviors and social support in Iranian women of reproductive age: a sequential explanatory mixed methods study. International Journal of Public Health. 2013; 59(3):465–73. doi: 10.1007/s00038-013-0513-y
Malakouti J, Sehhati F, Mirghafourvand M, Nahangi R. Relationship between health promoting lifestyle and perceived stress in pregnantwomen with preeclampsia. Journal of Caring Sciences. 2015; 4(2):155–63. doi: 10.15171/jcs.2015.016
Mirghafourvand M, Baheiraei A, Nedjat S, Mohammadi E, Charandabi SMA, Majdzadeh R. A population-based study of health-promoting behaviors and their predictors in Iranian women of reproductive age. Health Promotion International. 2014; 30(3):586–94. doi: 10.1093/heapro/dat086
)