Fibromyalgia Increases Pain and
Fatigue for Pregnant Women
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Description
Pregnant women with
fibromyalgia (FM) experience
significant pain, fatigue
and psychological stress,
symptoms that are often
misdiagnosed or under
treated as a normal part of
pregnancy, according to a
pilot study by Karen M.
Schaefer, D.N.Sc., R.N.,
assistant professor of
nursing at Temple
University's College of
Health Professions.
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Newswise — Pregnant women with
fibromyalgia (FM) experience
significant pain, fatigue and
psychological stress, symptoms that
are often misdiagnosed or under
treated as a normal part of
pregnancy, according to a pilot
study by Karen M. Schaefer, D.N.Sc.,
R.N., assistant professor of nursing
at Temple University's College of
Health Professions.
Her
research, the first to look at the
impact of pregnancy on women with
FM, will be presented this month at
the 2006 Association of Women’s
Health, Obstetrics and Neonatal
Nurses’ convention in Baltimore, Md.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition
commonly found in women that causes
pain in the muscles and soft tissues
of the body. Many sufferers get so
fatigued that they become weak, and
the condition, at its worst, can
lead to disability.
“Until now there was only anecdotal
evidence suggesting that women with
FM had a rougher time during
pregnancy,” said Schaefer. “This
data is the first step toward
gathering hard evidence of FM
effects on this group and will
hopefully help us identify ways to
reduce the impact of fibromyalgia
during pregnancy.”
For
this study, Schaefer recruited both
pregnant women with and without FM
through an Internet announcement on
a fibromyalgia website. Study
subjects were between the ages of
29-31, in their third trimester,
with no history of stillbirth and
free of chronic illnesses other than
FM.
The
women were then mailed a
questionnaire about fatigue,
depression, pain and ability to
function. A demographic form was
also used to assess the number of
painful areas in the body as well as
age, marital status, education,
hours slept and use of medication.
Schaefer’s results revealed that the
pregnant women with fibromyalgia had
a hard time functioning, felt more
stiff and tired and experienced pain
in more body areas than women
without FM.
“Most
women with FM have trouble getting
this condition properly diagnosed
let alone knowing where to turn for
help once their condition is
identified. We need to start looking
at how FM affects all areas of these
women’s lives and come up with ways
to provide as much comfort and
support as possible,” said Schaefer.
Schaefer, whose research focuses on
women with chronic illness
(fibromyalgia, lupus, ovarian
cancer) is currently expanding her
study to include a larger group of
subjects. |
