Primary dysmenorrhea is a womanhood problem around the world and negatively affects quality of life. This study was designed to investigate the prevalence of primary dysmenorrhea and to determine the factors associated with its intensity. A cross-sectional study was carried out among 311 undergraduate female students aged 18 to 27 years in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Socio-demographic characteristics and menstrual factors were obtained through interviews with the help of a pretested questionnaire. The prevalence of primary dysmenorrhea was 89.1%. Residing at home, younger age, lower number of years of formal education for the mother, positive family history of dysmenorrhea, higher severity of bleeding, and shorter menstrual period intervals were significantly associated with the higher intensity of primary dysmenorrhea. Primary dysmenorrhea is a common health concern among young women. Being aware of the factors that are associated with its intensity makes it possible for health professionals to organize better focused programs to reduce the adverse effects of dysmenorrhea.

This study aimed to identify the independent and combined effects of age, BMI at first prenatal visit and GWG on the risk of GDM. A retrospective cohort study of 1,951 pregnant women in Seremban district, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. GDM was defined as fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ≥5.6 mmol/l and/or 2-hour postprandial plasma glucose (2hPPG) ≥7.8 mmol/l. A higher percentage of women with GDM had 2 risk factors (29.0%) or >2 risk factors (8.6%) compared to non-GDM women (2 risk factors: 25.5%; >2 risk factors: 5.0%). In general, women with ≥2 risk factors were respectively 1.36–2.06 times more likely to have GDM compared to those without risk factors. Older maternal age and being overweight/obese were significantly associated with risk of GDM. Overweight/obese women with age ≥35 years had 2.45 times higher risk of GDM and having excessive GWG at second trimester further increased the risk of GDM. Age and BMI are independent risk factors for GDM but not GWG in the first and second trimester. The findings emphasize the need to focus on a healthy BMI before pregnancy and optimal GWG during pregnancy to improve pregnancy outcomes.

Poor diet quality in pregnancy could impact gestational weight gain (GWG) and consequently fetal growth and development. But today there is limited data available on gestational diet quality. This study investigated the association between diet quality in each pregnancy trimester and GWG in Malaysian women. Diet quality was assessed using the modified Healthy Eating Index for Malaysians (HEI). Total GWG was defined as the difference between measured weight at last prenatal visit and pre-pregnancy weight. About one-fourth of women (23.3%) had excessive total GWG. There were significant differences in the HEI component score across trimesters, except for fruits. Overall, overweight/obese women had lower total HEI score (51.49–55.40) during pregnancy compared to non-overweight/obese women (53.38–56.50). For non-overweight/obese women, higher total HEI scores in the second and third trimesters were significantly associated with lower risk of inadequate GWG (aOR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.95–0.99, p = 0.01) and higher risk of excessive GWG (aOR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.01–1.07, p = 0.03), respectively. Overweight/obese women with higher total HEI scores in the second (aOR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.01–1.07, p = 0.02) and third trimester (aOR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.01–1.08, p = 0.02) were significantly at higher risk for excessive GWG. Pregnant women had relatively low diet quality throughout pregnancy. Diet quality and GWG association differed according to pre-pregnancy BMI with excessive GWG more likely to be associated with higher total HEI scores in the third trimester.

Generally, dietary patterns (DP)s have been linked to the risk of diabetes mellitus, however, only few studies examined the associations between DPs in early pregnancy and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). This study aims to determine the association between DPs before and during pregnancy and risk of GDM in Malaysian pregnant women. DPs were derived using principal component analysis of consumed 126 food and beverage items assessed using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire collecting data retrospectively for pre-pregnancy, but prospectively for the first and second trimester. Three different DPs were identified at each time point and labelled as DP 1-3 (pre-pregnancy), DP 4-6 (first trimester), and DP 7-9 (second trimester). About 10.6% (n = 48) of pregnant women were diagnosed with GDM in our cohort. Women with high adherence (HA) to DP 2 (adjusted OR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.20-0.91) and DP 5 (adjusted OR: 0.28, 95% CI: 0.11-0.68) showed a significantly reduced risk of GDM compared to women with low adherence (LA). Other DPs were not significantly associated with GDM risk. Compared to women with GDM, non-GDM women showed HA scores for all DPs throughout pregnancy. Overall, a relative low percentage of women with GDM was found in this cohort. The risk was lower in women with HA to a relatively unhealthy dietary pattern, i.e. DP 2 and DP 5. The lower body mass index (BMI) status and energy intake of women showing a HA to DP 2 in the first trimester may underlie the observed association with a lower GDM risk. Additionally, genetic variance might explain the less susceptibility to GDM despite HA to unhealthy DPs among non-GDM women.

The contribution and impact of beverage intake to total nutrient and energy intake may be substantial. Given the link between lifestyle, diet, and the risk of pregnancy complications, this study investigated the association between the quantity and types of beverages with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk. The study included 452 women from the Seremban Cohort Study (SECOST). The mean energy by beverage intake was 273 ± 23.83 kcal/day (pre-pregnancy), 349 ± 69.46 kcal/day (first trimester) and 361 ± 64.24 kcal/day (second trimester). Women significantly increased intake of maternal milks and malted drinks, but significantly reduced the intake of carbonated drinks and other drinks from before until the second trimester of pregnancy. For chocolate drinks, carbonated drinks, and soy milk, women increased intake from pre-conception to the first trimester, but reduced their intake from the first to the second trimester. While higher intake of cultured-milk drinks was associated with an increased risk of GDM, higher fruit juice intake was associated with a lower risk of GDM. However, these associations were only observed for intake prior to pregnancy and during the first trimester. Further research is needed to corroborate these findings and investigate the contributions of different beverages to overall diet quality as well as adverse health outcomes during pregnancy.