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Clinical impact of and contributing factors to urinary incontinence in women 5 years after first delivery

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Abstract

Introduction and hypothesis

This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of and contributing factors to urinary incontinence (UI) in women 5 years after their first birth and to evaluate the associations of UI with delivery mode and quality of life.

Methods

Between 2005 July and 2006 March, primiparous women who delivered at term in a tertiary hospital were recruited into this cohort study. Immediately postpartum, the women completed a structured urogynecological questionnaire regarding lower urinary tract symptoms. Then the same urogynecological questionnaire, the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ-7), and the Urinary Distress Inventory (UDI-6) were mailed to them 5 years later to follow up on UI. Three hundred and twelve women responding to the mailed questionnaires were included in the analyses.

Results

The prevalence 5 years after first delivery of stress (SUI) and urge (UUI) UI were 43.6 % and 19.2 %, respectively. Women with UI during their first pregnancy were more likely to develop UI 5 years postpartum than those without it; women who delivered their first child vaginally had a greater incidence of UI than those having cesarean birth; UUI in women following cesarean delivery more negatively impacted emotional health than it did following vaginal birth, whereas the impact of SUI did not significantly differ between delivery groups.

Conclusions

UI during the first pregnancy and vaginal delivery in primiparous women may predict an increased risk of having UI 5 years after delivery. UUI adversely affected women’s emotional health, especially in those undergoing cesarean section.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Medical Research Project, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (grant numbers CMRPG391741 and CMRPG33048).

Conflicts of interest

None.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan

    Ching-Chung Liang & Shuenn-Dhy Chang

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan

    Ching-Chung Liang & Shuenn-Dhy Chang

  3. Division of Urogynecology and Pelvic Floor Reconstruction, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chi Mei Foundation Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan

    Ming-Ping Wu

  4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Ming-Ping Wu

  5. Department of Health Care Management, Chang Gung University, 259 Wen-Hwa 1st Road, Kwei-Shan, Taoyuan, 333, Taiwan

    Shu-Jen Lin & Hui-Hsuan Wang

  6. Resource Center of Clinical Research, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan

    Yu-Jr Lin

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  1. Ching-Chung Liang
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  2. Ming-Ping Wu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hui-Hsuan Wang.

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Liang, CC., Wu, MP., Lin, SJ. et al. Clinical impact of and contributing factors to urinary incontinence in women 5 years after first delivery. Int Urogynecol J 24, 99–104 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-012-1855-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-012-1855-3

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