title: The 12-month effects of structured lifestyle advice and pelvic floor muscle training for pelvic organ prolapse.
abstract: We evaluated the 12-month effects of adding pelvic floor muscle training to a lifestyle advice program in women with symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse stage II-III and the number of women who had sought further treatment.
  
  
  
  This study was a 12-month follow up of a randomized controlled trial comparing a structured lifestyle advice program alone (lifestyle group) or in combination with pelvic floor muscle training (training and lifestyle group). Both programs consisted of six separate group sessions within 12 weeks.
  
  
  
  Data were available from 83 (76%) of the 109 originally included women. At the 12-month follow up, 34/83 (41%) had not sought further treatment, 13/43 (30%) in the lifestyle group and 21/40 (52%) in the training and lifestyle group, and these could be included for analysis. The lifestyle group had significantly improved bladder symptoms compared with baseline on single-item analysis (p = 0.01). The training and lifestyle group had significantly improved pelvic organ prolapse symptoms on single-item analysis (p = 0.02) and of bowel-related quality of life (p = 0.04). No significant between-group differences were found in the symptom and quality of life scores. All together 49 women (59%) had sought further treatment, 70% in the lifestyle group, and 48% in the training and lifestyle group (p = 0.05). Twenty-six in the lifestyle group, and 15 in the training and lifestyle group had sought conservative treatment. Four women in each group had received surgery. More severe anterior prolapse and more bladder symptoms at the 3-month follow up were significantly associated with having sought further treatment in both groups.
  
  
  
  At 12-month follow up, the effects of adding pelvic floor muscle training to a structured lifestyle advice program were limited.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Herlev Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.|Department of Occupational and Physical Therapy, Herlev Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Ulla
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0171-7452
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Due
authors.affiliation: Division of Hospital Services and Emergency Management, Danish Health and Medicines Authority, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Søren
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8808-3271
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brostrøm
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Herlev Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.|Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Gunnar
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2604-7264
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lose
mesh_terms: D005081:Exercise Therapy; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D017773:Pelvic Floor; D056887:Pelvic Organ Prolapse / Q000628:therapy; D011788:Quality of Life
keywords: Conservative treatment; follow up; lifestyle advice; pelvic floor muscle training; pelvic organ prolapse