Identifying symptom clusters among pregnant women during early and late pregnancy.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the status of multiple psychosomatic symptoms among women and identify symptom clusters at different gestational stages.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study and a consecutive sample of 557 pregnant women were recruited. They were asked to complete the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale, and to supply sociodemographic and clinical information. Spearman correlation analysis, partial correlation networks, and hierarchical cluster analysis were carried out to identify the optimal number of symptom clusters.

RESULTS

The top five scores for symptoms in early pregnancy were nausea, lack of appetite, feeling drowsy, lack of energy, and vomiting. Weight gain, difficulty sleeping, sweating, lack of energy, and dry mouth scored high in late pregnancy. Four clusters were identified in early pregnancy, and three clusters were determined in late pregnancy.

CONCLUSIONS

Women experience multiple psychosomatic symptoms during pregnancy, and the manifestation of symptoms varies at different stages. The present study has provided new insights into symptom clusters in pregnant women.