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Medicina
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Maternal Well-Being and Quality of Life During Pregnancy: Emerging Clinical...
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Maternal Well-Being and Quality of Life During Pregnancy: Emerging Clinical Perspectives

A special issue of Medicina (ISSN 1648-9144). This special issue belongs to the section "Obstetrics and Gynecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2026 | Viewed by 1093

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Elena Bernad

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", 300001 Timisoara, Romania
Interests: gynecology; obstetrics; gynecological oncology; endocrinology and reproductive medicine; ethics; medical education; research design; epidemiology and statistics; computer applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Pregnancy is a period of profound physiological, psychological, and behavioral change, during which maternal health plays a decisive role in both short- and long-term outcomes for the mother and fetus. Beyond traditional obstetric risk factors, growing evidence highlights the importance of psychological well-being, medical comorbidities, and lifestyle behaviors—such as alcohol and tobacco use—in shaping maternal quality of life and pregnancy outcomes.

This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive and multidisciplinary perspective on maternal health during pregnancy, integrating obstetric, psychological, and public health approaches. We particularly welcome studies that explore interactions among psychological distress, medical conditions, and lifestyle factors, and their impact on maternal functioning, health-related quality of life, and perinatal outcomes.

The submission of original research articles, systematic reviews, and well-documented clinical studies is invited. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Psychological distress, anxiety, depression, and stress during pregnancy;
  • Medical comorbidities and chronic conditions in pregnant women;
  • Health-related quality of life and functional outcomes in pregnancy;
  • Alcohol, tobacco, and other lifestyle-related exposures during pregnancy;
  • Screening tools and integrated assessment models in antenatal care;
  • Psychosocial and behavioral determinants of obstetric outcomes;
  • Multidisciplinary and preventive approaches in maternal–fetal medicine.

By bringing together clinical obstetrics, mental health research, and lifestyle medicine, this Special Issue aims to support more holistic, patient-centered approaches to prenatal care and to inform evidence-based strategies to improve maternal and perinatal health.

Dr. Elena Bernad
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Medicina is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • maternal well-being
  • pregnancy quality of life
  • psychological distress in pregnancy
  • antenatal mental health
  • lifestyle factors during pregnancy
  • alcohol and tobacco exposure
  • perinatal outcomes
  • integrated antenatal care
  • patient-centred prenatal care

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1064 KB  
Article
Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders and Pregnancy: Where We Stand and Where to Go
by Jorge Montês, Mónica Grafino, Miguel Ângelo-Dias, Jorge Lima and Sofia Tello Furtado
Medicina 2026, 62(5), 835; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina62050835 - 28 Apr 2026
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Abstract
Background and Objectives: Pregnancy causes various physiological and hormonal changes that disrupt sleep architecture and modify respiratory patterns, increasing the risk of sleep-related breathing disorders (SBDs) such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and potentially exacerbating pre-existing conditions. These disorders have been linked [...] Read more.
Background and Objectives: Pregnancy causes various physiological and hormonal changes that disrupt sleep architecture and modify respiratory patterns, increasing the risk of sleep-related breathing disorders (SBDs) such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and potentially exacerbating pre-existing conditions. These disorders have been linked to adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. However, current screening tools remain inadequate, and data, including from Portugal, remain limited. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of SBD symptoms suggestive of sleep-disordered breathing during pregnancy, characterize the population, and explore associations with demographic and anthropometric parameters. Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted from July to December 2024 at Hospital da Luz Lisboa, involving pregnant women ≥ 18 years attending routine consultations. Participants completed a structured questionnaire that assessed demographic and anthropometric data, comorbidities, ten SBD symptoms, and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Results: The cohort included 289 participants, with a mean age of 34.4 years and pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) of 23.6 kg/m2. On average, women reported 3.1 SBD symptoms, with fatigue (65.4%), memory/concentration impairment (52.2%), and non-restorative sleep (50.5%) being the most common. Excessive daytime sleepiness (ESS >10) was present in 22.8% of the population. Snoring was significantly associated with older age and higher BMI (p = 0.0009 and p < 0.0001, respectively). Both the number of symptoms and ESS scores tended to increase with gestational age, particularly in the third trimester. Women with diabetes had higher odds of reporting snoring, nocturnal dyspnea, and witnessed apneas, with odds ratios of 4.65, 8.77, and 11.38, respectively. Conclusions: SBD symptoms and daytime sleepiness are highly prevalent in pregnancy and typically increase with advancing gestation. These findings emphasize the need for improved clinical strategies to enable early identification and management of SBD in pregnant women, thereby reducing maternal-fetal complications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Maternal Well-Being and Quality of Life During Pregnancy: Emerging Clinical Perspectives)
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15 pages, 738 KB  
Article
Health-Related Quality of Life in Pregnancy Associated with Psychological Distress
by Brenda-Cristiana Bernad, Mirela-Cleopatra Tomescu, Dana Emilia Velimirovici, Minodora Andor, Diana Lungeanu, Virgil Enătescu, Andreea Luciana Rata, Sergiu-Florin Arnautu, Elena Silvia Bernad, Oana Neda-Stepan and Lavinia Hogea
Medicina 2026, 62(3), 445; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina62030445 - 26 Feb 2026
Viewed by 601
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Pregnancy is associated with profound physical and psychological changes in a woman’s life. Psychological distress and medical comorbidities during pregnancy remain under recognized despite their potential impact on maternal well-being. This study aimed to examine the associations between psychological [...] Read more.
Background and Objectives: Pregnancy is associated with profound physical and psychological changes in a woman’s life. Psychological distress and medical comorbidities during pregnancy remain under recognized despite their potential impact on maternal well-being. This study aimed to examine the associations between psychological distress, physical and mental components of health-related quality of life (HRQoL), lifestyle factors (alcohol and tobacco use), and the presence of medical comorbidities in pregnant women. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant women in the second and third trimesters admitted to a tertiary obstetrics and gynecology center in Romania. Psychological distress was assessed using the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) Global Severity Index (GSI), while health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was evaluated with the Short Form Health Survey-36 items (SF-36) physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) Component Summary scores. Alcohol and tobacco use were assessed using Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test—Consumption (AUDIT-C) and the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND). Nonparametric tests were used for correlation and group-comparison analyses. Results: Among the 337 valid answers, higher psychological distress was significantly associated with lower physical (R = −0.16, p < 0.01) and mental (R = −0.26, p < 0.01) HRQoL. Pregnant women with medical comorbidities reported higher psychological distress and poorer physical HRQoL compared with those without comorbidities, while mental HRQoL did not differ significantly. Alcohol and tobacco use were not significantly associated with HRQoL or psychological distress. Conclusions: Psychological distress is a central factor associated with both physical and mental quality of life during pregnancy. Integrating routine mental health screening into antenatal care, particularly for women with medical comorbidities, may improve maternal well-being and support better pregnancy outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Maternal Well-Being and Quality of Life During Pregnancy: Emerging Clinical Perspectives)
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