Female voiding postures and their effects on micturition

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Women's Health
• Urodynamics

Background:

• Standard sitting-type toilets may not align with women's natural voiding biomechanics.
• Understanding voiding posture preferences is crucial for designing comfortable and efficient toilet facilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of sitting, semi-squatting, and crouching postures on uroflowmetric parameters.
• To assess postvoid residual urine (PVR) in different voiding positions.
• To determine women's preferred voiding posture, particularly in public restrooms.

Main Methods:

• 45 female university students participated in the study.
• Uroflowmetry was performed using a weight transducer urodynamic device.
• Postvoid residual urine (PVR) was measured via transabdominal ultrasound.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in PVR or most uroflowmetric outcomes were observed across postures.
• Voiding delay time was significantly longer in the semi-squatting posture compared to sitting or crouching.
• Bell-shaped urinary flow curves were more common in the sitting posture (51.1%) than in semi-squatting (22.2%) or crouching (17.8%).
• A strong preference (88.9%) for non-sitting postures was reported by women when using public toilets.

Conclusions:

• Women's preference for non-sitting voiding postures on public sitting-type toilets warrants attention.
• Current public toilet designs may not accommodate women's preferred and potentially more effective voiding positions.