Introduction. Satisfaction with life is defined as a sense of contentment which results from achieving a pre-established goal. Aim. Assessment of the level and determinants of satisfaction with life in pregnant women. Material and methods. The study was carried out on permission of the Bioethics Committee (KB 68/2016). The study was based on a diagnostic survey and used the following tools: Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and a questionnaire of own design. The study involved 100 women in the third trimester of pregnancy admitted to a Pathological Pregnancy Unit. Results. The mean score on the SWLS was 23.21, which signifies a high level of life satisfaction among respondents. Age, educational attainment, professional activity, place of residence and financial status had no impact on the level of satisfaction in pregnant women (p > 0.05). The only variable affecting life satisfaction was marital status (p = 0.003). No correlation was found between satisfaction with life among respondents and selected obstetric variables: parity, duration of previous pregnancy, previous mode of delivery, course of current pregnancy, diseases and hospitalization during current pregnancy (p > 0.05). Health status of the newborn from previous pregnancy determined the women’s life satisfaction (p = 0.0148). Social support received (instrumental vs emotional) significantly affected life satisfaction of the women (p = 0.0413 vs p = 0.0013). Conclusions. The study group demonstrated a high level of satisfaction with life. Marital status, health status of the newborn from previous pregnancy and social support received significantly affect the level of life satisfaction in pregnant women.

Key words: pregnancy, satisfaction with life, Satisfaction with Life Scale.