A qualitative exploration of the views and experiences of women with Pregnancy related Pelvic Girdle Pain

Objectives: To explore the views and experiences of women with Pregnancy related Pelvic Girdle Pain (PPGP), and to inform the design and development of a subsequent feasibility study.

Design: Using a philosophical stance of pragmatism, one-to-one audio recorded semi-structured interviews were used. All interviews were conducted once by a male interviewer, and analysed using an interpretive thematic data analytic approach through five steps: transcription, precoding, coding, categorisation and theme generation, with reflexivity adopted throughout the data synthesis process.

Setting: A Women's Health Physiotherapy Department in the North East of England between April 2014 to June 2014.

Participants: Eight pregnant women suffering with Pregnancy related Pelvic Girdle Pain.

Main outcome measures: Women's experiences of Pregnancy related Pelvic Girdle Pain.

Results: Three themes emerged: Reality of Pregnancy related Pelvic Girdle Pain; Key Mechanisms of Support and; Impact of Knowledge. Participants reported biopsychosocial symptoms, which included pain, reduced activities of daily living, psychological distress and social isolation. Participants valued the support of a healthcare professional through face to face contact and the interventions that they provided, as well as information on the condition.

Conclusions: Whilst there were some limitations to this study, the biopsychosocial symptoms discussed here justify the investigation of acupuncture for Pregnancy related Pelvic Girdle Pain. The design and development of a subsequent feasibility study, specifically in areas of recruitment, acceptability of the intervention and appropriate selection of outcome measures were informed by this study.