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Pelvic floor muscle training is not effective in women with UI in pregnancy: a randomised controlled trial

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to test the short- and long-term effects of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) during pregnancy in women at risk, i.e. women who were already affected by urinary incontinence (UI) during pregnancy. The intervention consisted of three sessions of PFMT between week 23 and 30 during pregnancy and one session 6 weeks after delivery, combined with written information. The research design was a randomised, controlled trial with four follow-ups up to 1 year after delivery. Participants in the study were 264 otherwise healthy women with UI during pregnancy, allocated at random to the intervention (112) or usual care (152) group. The main outcome measure was a UI severity scale and a 7-day bladder diary. No effect of pelvic floor muscle training was shown in this study at (half) a year after pregnancy. UI decreased strongly after pregnancy, irrespective of usual care or PMFT during pregnancy. For most women, usual care appears to be sufficient. The results support a ‘wait and see’ policy: wait for the urinary incontinence to take its natural course and see if, for women still incontinent half a year after pregnancy, pelvic floor muscle training is effective.

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Abbreviations

PFMT:

Pelvic floor muscle training

UI:

Urine incontinence

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Acknowledgements

We want to thank Miriam Hartevelt, who compiled the PFMT protocol for the four training sessions, and Marijke Slieker, who supervised the PFMT given by the pelvic floor physiotherapists. Most of all, we thank the women who took part in the study. Source of funding: Zon-MW Nr 2200.0052. Ethical approval for the study given by the CWOM (medical-ethical committee of the Radboud University Medical Centre) CWOM-nr.:0002-0038.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ITS-Nijmegen, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Clara Woldringh & Mary van den Wijngaart

  2. Department of BZE VII Transmural Care, Academic Hospital Maastricht (AZM), Maastricht, The Netherlands

    Pytha Albers-Heitner

  3. Pelvic Floor Centre, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands

    August A. B. Lycklama à Nijeholt

  4. Women’s Studies Medical Sciences, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Toine Lagro-Janssen

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  1. Clara Woldringh
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  2. Mary van den Wijngaart
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  3. Pytha Albers-Heitner
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  4. August A. B. Lycklama à Nijeholt
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  5. Toine Lagro-Janssen
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Correspondence to Mary van den Wijngaart.

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Woldringh, C., van den Wijngaart, M., Albers-Heitner, P. et al. Pelvic floor muscle training is not effective in women with UI in pregnancy: a randomised controlled trial. Int Urogynecol J 18, 383–390 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-006-0175-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-006-0175-x

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