Aim:To evaluate pelvic floor muscle (PFM) function and its association with urinary symptoms in the third trimester of pregnancy.
Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 91 nulliparous women at 30-34 weeks of pregnancy. PFM was evaluated by surface electromyography (sEMG) and manual muscle testing, while urinary symptoms were identified by interview. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used to analyze proportions and Mann-Whitney test was used to analyze differences in means.
Results: Average sEMG values were 4.8 µV for basic tonus (BT), 19.2 µV for maximum voluntary contraction (MVC), and 12.9 µV for average sustained contraction (ASC), and 48.4% presented muscle strength grade 3. Nocturia was reported by 80.2%, followed by increased daytime frequency (59.3%), stress urinary incontinence (50.5%), and urge urinary incontinence (25.3%). No association was found between urinary symptoms and MVC or ASC or PFM manual tested strength.
Conclusion: No association was observed between PFM function and urinary incontinence, except decreased BT among late third trimester pregnant women with irritative bladder symptoms.
Written by:
Frederice CP, Amaral E, Ferreira ND. Are you the author?
Department of Obstetrics, School of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas - UNICAMP, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
Reference: J Obstet Gynaecol Res. 2012 Jul 29. Epub ahead of print.
doi: 10.1111/j.1447-0756.2012.01962.x
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 22844967
