Quantification of Urinary Loss in Nulliparous Athletes During 1 Hour of Sports Training

Abstract

Background: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a pelvic floor dysfunction that can affect nulliparous female athletes because of the effect of sports activities on pelvic floor muscles.

Objectives: To verify and quantify urine loss in nulliparous athletes during 1 hour of sports training using a modified pad test protocol.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting: Secondary, institutional practice.

Participants: Nulliparous athletes (N = 104).

Methods: Athletes completed the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-UI-SF) and underwent a maximal resistance test of the abdominal muscles followed by the new modified pad test during 1 hour of training.

Outcomes: Presence or absence of UI was the dependent variable; the initial hypothesis was that high-impact activities could lead to the development of UI.

Results: Almost 52% of athletes (n = 54) self-reported UI according to the ICIQ-UI-SF score. Of athletes who reported stress or mixed UI (n = 32), only 43.7% (n = 14) had leakage during the training pad test. Interestingly, 24% of athletes (n = 12) who did not report UI had a positive pad test result. In total, 27.9% of athletes (n = 29) presented a positive pad test during the training. Mean urinary loss was 1.57 ± 0.4 g.

Conclusion: Athletes did not seem to have a good knowledge of UI symptoms, and the modified pad test could be an alternative to quantify urine loss; however, it is necessary to perform accuracy tests. None of the athletes reported discomfort or decreased performance when performing the pad test.

Level of evidence: II.