Risk Factors for Urinary Incontinence in Pregnancy: A Case Control Study

Abstract

Objective Urinay incontinence (UI) is a major public health problem that can harm women in any period of life, including during the gestational period. Urinary incontinence during pregnancy has been studied because this condition can reduce the quality of life and interfere in several aspects of the maternal-fetal binomial. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of UI in nullipara pregnant women and to identify risk factors associated with UI in this population. Methods This is a case-control study in which we invited nullipara women between 12 and 20 weeks of pregnancy to participate in the research. They were asked to answer a specific questionnaire, write a 3-day bladder diary, and undergo a urogynecological evaluation including pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POP-Q), empty stress supine test (ESST), and pelvic floor muscle assessment. Results A total of 70 out of 73 patients accepted to participate in the study, and the prevalence of UI in this population was 18.3%. Tobacco use was identified as an independent risk factor for UI in pregnant women (odds ratio 8.0). All other factors analyzed were not significantly associated to UI in pregnancy. Conclusion Urinary incontinence can be a major problem in pregnancy. We identified the use of tobacco as a risk factor for developing UI in pregnancy, which provides an extra reason to encourage patients to quit smoking.

Risk factors for urinary incontinence during pregnancy among nulliparous women in the United Arab Emirates

“…[ 24 ] Factors predicting UI in pregnancy are reported to be occasional leakage during the non-pregnant period (less than once a month) and tobacco consumption. [ 1 , 21 ] According to another recently published study from our setting, the prevalence of UI was nearly 50%, with stress incontinence being the most common type of UI. [ 20 ] There are major differences between our study and this study.…”

“…[19] A higher prevalence of UI during pregnancy has been previously reported ranging from 40 to 50% which is double the current study [12,20] Similar to our findings, a study of the prevalence of UI among nulliparous women found an 18.3% rate. [21] In comparison, non-pregnant women in Germany and Denmark had a prevalence rate of UI of 48.3 and 46.4% respectively. [22]…”