Stress incontinence and pelvic floor exercises in pregnancy

This literature review is a critique of the research looking at the impact of pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy on urinary stress incontinence in postnatal women. Seven studies were selected for review following a database search on the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Embase, Medline and the British Nursing Index (BNI). The research produced mixed findings. Four of the seven studies demonstrated a significant improvement in urinary stress incontinence in postnatal women following pelvic floor muscle exercise during pregnancy. However, the studies that spanned a longer time period found no long-term effectiveness. More research is needed for a more conclusive picture as to whether antenatal pelvic floor exercises can improve stress incontinence in the postpartum period.