Voice Quality of Life and Musculoskeletal Symptoms of Pregnant Women.

INTRODUCTION: Quality of life in terms of voice and musculoskeletal symptoms can be affected, especially at the end of pregnancy when major physical changes occur.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the results of vocal self-assessment and musculoskeletal symptoms of pregnant women in the second and third trimester.

METHODS: Forty-nine pregnant women in the second and third trimester aged between 18 and 40years were examined using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and the Voice-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire. The data were statistically analyzed using the R environment (R Core Team, 2019) with parametric (Student's t, chi-square, and Wald) and nonparametric (Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon) tests, taking into account a nominal significance level of 5%.

RESULTS: Voice-related quality of life: mean total score and socio-emotional domain significantly within the normal values; physical domain significantly below the normal value; larger number of pregnant women significantly below the normal value in the physical domain. Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire: most of the examined aspects showed a significant negative response; there was a positive significance for the presence of pain and tingling in the lower back; pregnant women with musculoskeletal complaints and impairments showed a significant decrease in the three domains of voice-related quality of life, mainly in the physical domain.

CONCLUSION: Pregnant women showed a deterioration in the physical domain of voice-related quality of life and the presence of pain and tingling in the lower back. Pregnant women who had discomfort and musculoskeletal impairments also showed a deterioration in voice-related quality of life, mainly in the physical domain.