Leg Cramps, Its Associated Factors And Quality Of Life Among Pregnant Mothers: A Cross-sectional Study In A Malaysian Suburban Health Clinic

Leg cramps (LCs) are common in pregnancy and may affect pregnant mothers’ quality of life (QoL). However, studies to show this impact are still lacking. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the association of LCs with QoL
among pregnant mothers. The magnitude and characteristics of LCs were
assessed too. A cross-sectional study was conducted at a government health
clinic in Hulu Langat, Selangor involving 99 mothers in their second or third
trimesters, recruited through convenience sampling between March and April
2018. This study used a developed bilingual (Bahasa Malaysia and English)
self-administered questionnaire on leg cramps proϐile, as well as the bilingual
self-administered SF-12v2, to assess their QoL. About 71.7% experienced LCs
during this pregnancy. About half experienced LCs once to twice a week and
63.4% had moderately painful LCs. Only 26.7% had severely painful LCs and
12.7% had the next-day soreness in all or most of the time. Gestational age
(P=0.001) and booking Body Mass Index (BMI) (p=0.022) were signiϐicantly
associated with LCs, but not their QoL (p=0.712 for PCS and p=0.118 for MCS).
Generally, LCs were common among these pregnant mothers. However, LCs
appear to be brief, infrequent, and mild which did not signiϐicantly affect their
QoL. Nevertheless, LCs should not be disregarded, as a subgroup of them experienced severe LCs with the next day soreness who may need further assessment and treatment.