ABSTRACT
The present study from the period of January 2005 to June 2005 aimed to compare upper airway dimensions in pregnant and non-pregnant women. A total of 30 women in the third trimester of pregnancy were recruited from the antenatal service and matched with 30 non-pregnant. Upper airway dimensions were measured using acoustic reflection. Of those who reported whether or not they snored, 9% of control women, and 23% of pregnant women reported that they snored on at least one night per week. Snoring frequency increased during pregnancy [p < 0.001]. Of the thirty pregnant, 5% stated that they started to snore or markedly increased their snoring frequency during the first trimester, 6% during the second trimester, and 23% during the third trimester. When seated, pregnant had wider upper airways than non- pregnant [p < 0.02], but there was no difference when supine. Oropharyngeal junction area in the seated position was the same in non-pregnant and pregnant women. Supine oropharyngeal junction area was less in the pregnant women than in the non-pregnant women. The study showed that pregnant women have upper airway narrowing and high incidence of snoring