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
. 2022 Nov;33(11):3203-3211.
doi: 10.1007/s00192-022-05245-y. Epub 2022 Jun 3.

Relaxin-2 during pregnancy according to glycemia, continence status, and pelvic floor muscle function

Caroline Baldini Prudencio  1 , Sthefanie Kenickel Nunes  1 , Fabiane Affonso Pinheiro  1 , Carlos Isaias Sartorão Filho  1 , Flávia Ignácio Antônio  2 , Guilherme Thomaz de Aquino Nava  3 , Marilza Vieira Cunha Rudge  1 , Angélica Mércia Pascon Barbosa  4   5 ; Diamater Study Group
Collaborators, Affiliations

Relaxin-2 during pregnancy according to glycemia, continence status, and pelvic floor muscle function

Caroline Baldini Prudencio et al. Int Urogynecol J. 2022 Nov.

Abstract

Introduction and hypothesis: To investigate relaxin-2 concentration comparing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and non-GDM patients during pregnancy according to urinary incontinence (UI) and pelvic function status.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study evaluating 282 pregnant women from 24 weeks of gestation. The participants were divided into two groups, non-GDM and GDM, according to American Diabetes Association's diabetes mellitus gestational threshold. In addition, according to subanalysis, both groups were subdivided according to the presence of pregnancy-specific urinary incontinence: non-GDM continent, non-GDM incontinent, GDM continent, and GDM incontinent. All participants filled in questionnaires on clinical, obstetric, and urinary continence status (International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form, ICIQ-SF, and Incontinence Severity Index, ISI), followed by pelvic floor muscle evaluation by the PERFECT scheme in which strength, endurance, and speed of contractions were evaluated.

Results: Serum relaxin-2 concentrations were significantly lower in pregnant women with pregnancy-specific urinary incontinence in both non-GDM and GDM patients, but GDM showed the lowest concentration. In addition, the stratification of the groups according to pelvic floor muscle strength showed that pregnant patients with GDM and modified Oxford scale 0-2 had significantly lower levels than those who were non-GDM and GDM with Modified Oxford Scale 3-5. Relaxin-2 level was much lower in GDM incontinent pregnant women with MOS 0-2 compared to the other three groups.

Conclusions: Lower relaxin-2 concentration was associated with the presence of pregnancy-specific urinary incontinence, but the combination of GDM, pregnancy-specific urinary incontinence, and lower levels of pelvic floor strength led to lower levels of relaxin-2 compared to the other three groups.

Keywords: Gestational diabetes; Obstetrics; Pelvic floor; Pregnancy; Relaxin-2.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Piculo F, Marini G, Vesentini G, et al. Pregnancy-specific urinary incontinence in women with gestational hyperglycaemia worsens the occurrence and severity of urinary incontinence and quality of life over the first year post partum. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2020;252:336–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2020.06.036 . - DOI - PubMed
    1. Woodley SJ, Lawrenson P, Boyle R, et al. Pelvic floor muscle training for preventing and treating urinary and faecal incontinence in antenatal and postnatal women. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020;2020.
    1. Vesentini G, Barbosa AMP, Damasceno DC, et al. Alterations in the structural characteristics of rectus abdominis muscles caused by diabetes and pregnancy: A comparative study of the rat model and women. PLoS One. 2020;15:e0231096. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231096 . - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Sartorão Filho CI, Pinheiro FA, Prudencio CB, et al. Impact of gestational diabetes on pelvic floor: A prospective cohort study with three-dimensional ultrasound during two-time points in pregnancy. Neurourol Urodyn nau. 24491. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1002/nau.24491 .
    1. Prudencio CB, Rudge MVC, Pinheiro FA, et al. Negative impact of gestational diabetes mellitus on progress of pelvic floor muscle electromyography activity: Cohort study. PLoS One. 2019;14:e0223261. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223261 . - DOI - PubMed - PMC

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources