Urinary Incontinence, Quality of Life and Non-Pharmacologic Coping Strategies Among Pregnant Women a Cross-Sectional Research Study

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) in pregnant women, disease-specific health-related quality of life, and the use of non-pharmacologic coping strategies to manage UI and related LUTS. We also examined the association between incontinence-related quality of life and the use of non-pharmacologic coping strategies in pregnant women. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, correlational study. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: The sample comprised 320 pregnant women. Their mean age was 30.41 years (SD = 4.19). Nearly half (n = 156, 48.8%) had given birth previously, and 35.9% (n = 59) had vaginal deliveries. Slightly less than 1 quarter (22.8%, n = 73) had a history of UI before pregnancy. The study setting was the gynecology outpatient clinics of a private hospital in Samsun, Turkey. METHODS: Respondents completed a questionnaire designed for purposes of this study that queried sociodemographic data and 2 validated instruments, the Frequency of use of Non-Pharmacologic Coping Strategies for UI, and the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire - Short Form (ICIQ-SF). In addition to calculating UI prevalence and frequency of associated characteristics, independent t-tests, 1-way ANOVA, Mann Whitney U, Kruskal Wallis, Chi-square, and logistic regression were used to analyze findings. RESULTS: The prevalence of UI was 45.3% (n = 145); 52.4% (n = 167) first experienced UI during the second trimester. Logistic regression analysis indicated that personal or family history of UI, and mode of vaginal delivery were significantly associated with an increased likelihood of UI during pregnancy. Analysis indicated a moderate and positive correlation (r = 0.354; P < .001) between scores on the ICIQ-SF and Frequency of Use of Non-Pharmacologic Coping Strategies for UI instrument. CONCLUSIONS: Slightly less than half of a group of 320 women experienced half of the pregnant subjects (45.3%) experienced UI. Urinary incontinence began during the second trimester for most. A personal or family or family history of UI, and previous vaginal deliveries were associated with an increased likelihood of UI during pregnancy.