Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the levels of physical and mental fatigue during pregnancy and to determine which type of fatigue is dominant. In addition, the relationships between fatigue levels and some demographic and hematological variables were also investigated.
Materials and
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 222 pregnant women admitted to the obstetrics outpatient clinic of a tertiary health institution were included. Physical and mental fatigue levels were assessed with the sub-dimensions of the Chalder Fatigue Questionnaire, and subjective fatigue perception was measured with the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). In addition, participants’ clinical data such as age, gravida, parity, hemoglobin, iron and ferritin levels were analysed.

Results: The Chalder physical fatigue subscore was significantly higher than the mental fatigue subscore (p<0.001). A significant positive correlation was found between VAS scores and CHALDER total scores (ρ=0.469, p<0.001). No statistically significant correlation was found between fatigue levels and age, gravida, parity, hemoglobin, iron and ferritin levels (p>0.05).

Conclusion: The most prominent type of fatigue in pregnancy is physical fatigue. The level of fatigue may be related to pregnancy-specific physiological and psychosocial stress factors rather than hematological or demographic factors. It is recommended that a holistic and multidisciplinary approach should be adopted in the management of fatigue in pregnancy.