Objectives To compare pelvic floor muscle strength, severity of urinary incontinence symptoms and health related quality of life between parous and nulliparous women; and to investigate the efficacy of pelvic floor muscle training in improving symptoms of urinary incontinence and health related quality of life in the previously mentioned two groups. Materials and methods Initially, 67 women were included in the study. Pelvic floor muscle strength and endurance were evaluated pre-treatment using the Pelvic floor exerciser. Participants were assessed before and after 10 weeks of pelvic floor muscle training by using The International Consultation of Incontinence Questionnaire – Short Form for symptoms severity, and The King’s Health Questionnaire for health related quality of life. Results The final sample included 32 participants: sixteen parous and sixteen nulliparous women between 18 and 50 years of age. Before the intervention, parous women (75%) were 2 times more likely to report urinary incontinence than nulliparous women (37.5%). They also had significantly lower pelvic floor muscle strength (p=.001), pelvic floor muscle endurance (p=.001), and more severe symptoms related to urinary incontinence (p=.009). Additionally, parous women had poorer disease specific quality of life in all domains. After the intervention, symptoms severity scores decreased significantly among both parous (p=.007) and nulliparous women (p=.038). Regarding quality of life, both groups had major improvements in all domains. Conclusions Our results suggest that urinary incontinence is more common among parous women. They experience more severe symptoms and have lower health related quality of life. Additionally, pelvic floor muscle training seems to be effective for improving symptoms of urinary incontinence and health related quality of life among both parous and nulliparous women.
Importance Adequate knowledge about pelvic floor disorders could lead to increased health care-seeking behavior, improved symptoms, and quality of life. Objectives The aims of the present study were to evaluate Hungarian women’s knowledge about pelvic floor disorders and to assess health care-seeking behavior. Study Design We conducted a cross-sectional survey from March to October 2022 using self-administered questionnaires. The Prolapse and Incontinence Knowledge Questionnaire was used to assess Hungarian women’s knowledge about pelvic floor disorders. The International Consultation of Incontinence Questionnaire–Short Form was used to gather information about the symptoms of urinary incontinence. Results Five hundred ninety-six women were included in the study. Urinary incontinence knowledge was deemed proficient in 27.7% of participants, while pelvic organ prolapse knowledge was deemed proficient in 40.4% of participants. Greater urinary incontinence knowledge was significantly associated (P < 0.001) with higher level of education (P = 0.016), work in a medical field (P < 0.001), and ever practiced pelvic floor muscle training (P < 0.001), whereas greater pelvic organ prolapse knowledge was significantly associated (P < 0.001) with higher level of education (P = 0.032), work in a medical field (P < 0.001), ever practiced pelvic floor muscle training (P = 0.017), and ever had pelvic organ prolapse (P = 0.022). Of the 248 participants who reported a history of urinary incontinence, only 42 (16.93%) women sought care. Care seeking was higher among women who were more knowledgeable about urinary incontinence and among women with more severe symptoms. Conclusions Hungarian women had limited knowledge about urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. Health care seeking among women with urinary incontinence was low.
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