Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2022 Jun;33(6):1557-1565.
doi: 10.1007/s00192-021-05028-x. Epub 2021 Dec 22.

Antenatal pelvic floor muscle training and urinary incontinence: a randomized controlled 7-year follow-up study

Signe Nilssen Stafne  1   2 , Rebecka Dalbye  3 , Oda M Kristiansen  3 , Yvonne E Hjelle  3 , Kjell Åsmund Salvesen  4   5 , Siv Mørkved  6   7 , Hege Hølmo Johannessen  8   9
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Antenatal pelvic floor muscle training and urinary incontinence: a randomized controlled 7-year follow-up study

Signe Nilssen Stafne et al. Int Urogynecol J. 2022 Jun.

Abstract

Introduction and hypothesis: Urinary incontinence is common postpartum. Our aims were to assess whether antenatal exercise including pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) has long-term effects on urinary incontinence (UI) and to explore factors associated with UI 7 years postpartum.

Methods: A follow-up of a two-centre randomized controlled trial performed at St. Olavs Hospital and Stavanger University Hospital, Norway. In the original trial women were randomized to a 12-week structured exercise protocol including PFMT or standard antenatal care during pregnancy. Link to an electronic questionnaire was sent by postal mail 7 years postpartum. Prevalence of UI was assessed with Sandvik severity index and compared between groups. Factors associated with UI were studied using multivariable logistic regression analysis.

Results: The response rate was 35% (298/855). UI was reported by 78 (51%) in the intervention group and 63 (57%) in the control group (p = 0.539). In the multivariable logistic regression analyses, women with UI at inclusion had a five-fold increase in odds of UI at 7 years (OR 5.4, 95% CI 2.6, 11.5). Engaging in regular exercise was not significantly associated with UI at 7 years; however, UI was associated with lower exercise intensity (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.2, 4.6).

Conclusions: We found no group differences of antenatal exercise including PFMT on UI after 7 years among the responders. UI in pregnancy increased the risk of long-term UI. Regular exercise was not associated with UI at 7 years; however, women with UI were more than twice as likely to exercise at lower intensity than continent women.

Keywords: Long-term effect; Pelvic floor muscle training; Pregnancy; Prevention; Urinary incontinence; Women.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of study participants
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Haylen BT, de Ridder D, Freeman RM, Swift SE, Berghmans B, Lee J, Monga A, Petri E, Rizk DE, Sand PK, Schaer GN. An International Urogynecological Association (IUGA)/International Continence Society (ICS) joint report on the terminology for female pelvic floor dysfunction. Neurourol Urodyn. 2010;29(1):4–20. doi: 10.1002/nau.20798. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Milsom I, Altman D, Cartwright R, Lapitan MC, Nelson R, Sjöström S, Tikkinen K. Epidemiology of urinary incontinence (UI) and other lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and anal (AI) incontinence. In: Abrams P, Cardozo L, Wagg A, Wein A, editors. Incontinence. 6. Tokyo: International Continence Society; 2017.
    1. Hvidman L, Foldspang A, Mommsen S, Bugge Nielsen J. Correlates of urinary incontinence in pregnancy. Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct. 2002;13(5):278–283. doi: 10.1007/s001920200061. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Delancey JO, Kane Low L, Miller JM, Patel DA, Tumbarello JA. Graphic integration of causal factors of pelvic floor disorders: an integrated life span model. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2008;199(6):610 e611–615. 10.1016/j.ajog.2008.04.001. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bø K. Physiotherapy management of urinary incontinence in females. J Phys. 2020;66(3):147–154. doi: 10.1016/j.jphys.2020.06.011. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types