Postpartum urinary symptoms: prevalence and risk factors.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the prevalence of urinary symptoms, the relationship between urinary symptoms and vaginal descent, and the association between urinary symptoms and obstetric factors.


METHODS
Five hundred and thirty-seven women were interviewed and underwent a urogynaecological evaluation 3 months after vaginal delivery. Quantitative-type variables were subjected to Student's t test. Simple logistic regression analyses were carried out on the symptoms studied as a function of risk factors.


RESULTS
8.2% of primiparae showed stress urinary incontinence and multiparae in 20% (P=0.0001); urge incontinence was present in 5.5% of primiparae and in 13% of multiparae (P=0.004). Significant correlations were found among operative vaginal delivery, dysuria (P=0.048) and frequency (P=0.036). Urinary incontinence appeared associated with induced labour with prostaglandins (P=0.018) and with general maternal factors, such as parity (P=0.001) and elevated weight at the beginning of pregnancy (P=0.019).


CONCLUSIONS
It is likely that the pathogenesis of postpartum urinary incontinence includes not only the effects of pelvic floor trauma on urethrovesical mobility under stress, but also a deficiency in urethral resistance caused by drugs, such as prostaglandins.
Pregazzi
Roberto
R
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, I.R.C.C.S. Burlo Garofolo, University of Trieste, Via dell'Istria 65/1, 34137, Trieste, Italy. pregazzi@burlo.trieste.it
Sartore
Andrea
A
Troiano
Luigi
L
Grimaldi
Eva
E
Bortoli
Paolo
P
Siracusano
Salvatore
S
Guaschino
Secondo
S
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007748:Labor Stage, Second; D007751:Labor, Induced / Q000009:adverse effects; D008423:Maternal Age; D010298:Parity; D017773:Pelvic Floor / Q000503:physiopathology; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D014555:Urination Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015430:Weight Gain