Abstract
Objective: To compare the mental well-being of French women who
were and were not pregnant during the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
Design: Survey. Setting: France. Population:
Women between 18 and 45 years of age during the second and third weeks
of global lockdown (March 25–April 07, 2020) during the COVID-19
pandemic. Methods: Nationwide online quantitative survey.
Main Outcome Measures: Mental well-being measured by the
Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS). Results:
This study analysed 275 responses from pregnant women and compared them
with those from a propensity score–matched sample of 825 non-pregnant
women. The median WEMWBS score was 49.0 and did not differ by pregnancy
status. Women living in urban areas reported better well-being, while
those with sleep disorders or who spent more than an hour a day watching
the news reported poorer well-being. Conclusion: During the
first lockdown in France, women had relatively low mental well-being
scores, with no significant difference between pregnant and non-pregnant
women. More than ever, health-care workers need to find a way to
maintain their support for women’s well-being. Minor daily annoyances of
pregnancy, such as insomnia, should not be trivialised because they are
a potential sign of poor well-being.