BackgroundUrinary incontinence (UI) in women is a chronic disorder which has a negative impact on health-related quality of life. Only 45 % of the affected individuals report the problem with continence to their doctor. The aim of the study was to assess the duration of stress urinary incontinence (SUI), time from disease onset to the first medical consultation and in-depth diagnosis, as well as the need for using continence pads in various grades of SUI.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study in women who presented at the urogynecologic ambulatory center and reported urinary incontinence. A total of 420 subjects were interviewed and underwent urogynecologic and urodynamic examinations. A group of 147 patients with urodynamic SUI was enrolled in the study.ResultsAll women were graded according to the Stamey severity score: grade 1 – 56 (38.1 %), grade 2 – 68 (46.3 %), and grade 3 – 23 (15.6 %). Mean time elapsed between disease onset and presentation at the urogynecologic ambulatory center was 17.4 ± 11.8 years (grades 1, 2 and 3 for 11.6 ± 11.8, 14.9 ± 10.8, and 22.2 ± 12.1 years, respectively; p = 0.0002). Patients with SUI started perceiving their condition as a problem 4.7 ± 5.4 years before referral to urodynamics; 58.3 % of the SUI patients reported their problems with continence to a physician. Average time between the onset of UI symptoms and seeking medical help was 13.28 ± 12.3 years. Mean duration of using continence pads during the day was 4.2, 5.4 and 10.2 years in grades 1, 2 and 3, respectively (p = 0.0002). The number of patients using continence pads in and outside the home, as compared to outside only, was: grade 1 – 44.6 % vs. 28.6 %, grade 2 – 77.6 % vs. 13.4 %, and grade 3 – 86.4 % vs. 9.1 % (p = 0.004). Mean use of continence pads at night was 3.3, 6.1, and 9.1 years in grades 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The differences were not statistically significant. Protective continence products were used at night by 26.7 % of the SUI patients: 16.1 %, 25 % and 59.1 % in grades 1, 2 and 3, respectively (p = 0.004).ConclusionsWomen with SUI delay seeking medical help for over a decade. The severity of SUI is associated with duration and increased use of continence pads.

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to analyze the influence of the level of perinatal depression on the labor-associated fear and emotional attachment of children born to women during high-risk pregnancies and in the first days after delivery.Material/Methods133 women aged between 16 and 45 years took part in the study. The first group included 63 pregnant women (mean age=28.59, SD=5.578) with a high-risk pregnancy (of maternal origin, for example, cardiologic disorders and diabetes). The second group included 70 women (mean age=27.94, SD=5.164) who were in the first days post-partum. Research methods included: Analysis of medical documentation; Clinical interview; the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS); the Questionnaire of Labor-Associated Anxiety (KLP), the Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale (MFAS).ResultsWomen after delivery displayed a higher level of concern for the child’s health and life when compared to the high-risk pregnancy group. The results indicated the appearance of a postnatal fear, the level of which is connected with the perception of the role of the mother. This fear is lower in women prior to childbirth than it is after. There has also been noted a statistically significant relationship between the appearance of depression and attachment to the child. Those women with depression show less attachment to their child than is the case for those who do not suffer from depression.ConclusionsThe appearance of a high level of depression amongst women from the high-risk pregnancy group during the first days post childbirth was accompanied by perinatal depression and a weaker attachment to the child.

The Polish version of the PISQ is a reliable tool for evaluating sexual function in women with POP and UI.

132on an uneven surface) can lead to an involuntary release of urine (Dutkiewicz, 2002;Rechberger & Skorupski, 2005).A typical feature of USI should incorporate the general similarity of symptoms in the day to day and the lack of nocturnal enuresis or nocturia. USI is thought to be caused by many different factors. Petros's Integral Theory (Petros, 2005), which is widely accepted, associates functional disturbances of the pelvic floor with structural disorders. The pelvic floor is formed by organs (the bladder with urethra, the vagina and the anus, the fascia and ligaments that bind them, the muscles). To simplify somewhat, the contracting muscles stabilize the organs in relation to the connective tissue elements, so damage to the ligaments and connective tissue can result in the lack of proper closure (manifested by urinary or fecal incontinence) or vaginal dysfunction, and the resulting symptoms and discomfort of which the patients complain.

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