2015/10/19 by Ravi Gupta, R. Gupta, Mohan Dhyani +13 · 2 citations
Medicine · Neuroscience · #Neurological Complications and Syndromes #Restless Legs Syndrome Research #Sleep and Wakefulness Research
paper · doi:10.1111/ane.12520
crossref issued 2015/10/19 · crossref published 2015/10/19 · crossref published-online 2015/10/19 · openalex publication_date 2015/10/19 · crossref created 2015/10/20 · crossref published-print 2016/05/01 · crossref deposited 2022/12/20 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/08/02 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/02
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common sleep disorder that may be associated with pregnancy. Studies have found that the prevalence of RLS among pregnant women ranged from 10 to 34%. Typically, there is complete remission of symptoms soon after parturition; however, in some patients, they may continue postpartum. RLS has been shown to be associated with a number of complications in pregnancy including preeclampsia and increased incidence of Cesarean sections. Although multiple hypotheses have been proposed to explain this association, each individual hypothesis cannot completely explain the whole pathogenesis. Present understanding suggests that a strong family history, low serum iron and ferritin level, and high estrogen level during pregnancy might play important roles. Vitamin D deficiency and calcium metabolism may also play a role. Medical treatment of RLS during pregnancy is difficult and challenging considering the risks to mother and fetus. However, in some cases, the disease may be severe enough to require treatment.