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Mid-trimester serum relaxin concentrations and post-partum pelvic floor dysfunction
Marie-Andrée Harvey1, Shawna L Johnston, Gregory A L Davies
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Urogynecology and Pelvic Floor Reconstruction, Kingston General Hospital, and Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. harveym@queensu.ca
Acta Obstetricia Et Gynecologica Scandinavica
|October 28, 2008
Summary
Mid-trimester serum relaxin levels were higher and declined faster in women who later developed pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD), including stress urinary incontinence and prolapse, after childbirth.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive endocrinology
- Urogynecology
- Perinatology
Background:
- Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) affects many women post-childbirth.
- Serum relaxin concentration (SRC) during pregnancy may influence pelvic floor tissue laxity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare mid-trimester SRC in primiparous women with and without PFD (stress urinary incontinence, genital prolapse).
Main Methods:
- Nested observational cohort study of primiparous women 1-4 years postpartum.
- Utilized previously collected mid-trimester SRC (24 and 28 weeks).
- Assessed PFD using Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POPQ) and Urogenital Distress Inventory (UDI-6).
Main Results:
- 17% had prolapse, 46% had stress incontinence.
- SRC was slightly, though not significantly, higher in women with PFD.
- SRC declined significantly faster from 24 to 28 weeks in incontinent women.
Conclusions:
- Mid-gestation relaxin levels may be higher and fall faster in women who develop PFD.
- Findings suggest a potential association between relaxin, collagen turnover, and childbirth-related PFD.
