Pelvic floor muscle training program increases muscular contractility during first pregnancy and postpartum:...

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
• Women's Health

Background:

• Urinary symptoms and reduced pelvic floor muscle contractility are common in primigravid pregnant and primiparous postpartum women.
• These conditions can significantly impact quality of life during and after childbirth.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of a structured training program on pelvic floor muscle contractility.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of this training in alleviating urinary symptoms in pregnant and postpartum women.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, blinded trial involving 33 women divided into three groups: pregnant, postpartum (vaginal delivery), and postpartum (cesarean section).
• Evaluations included digital palpation (Modified Oxford Grading Scale), pelvic floor electromyography, and validated questionnaires (ICIQ-UI SF, ICIQ-OAB).
• A 10-session home-visit training program was administered three times weekly.

Main Results:

• Significant increases in pelvic floor muscle contractility were observed across all groups post-training (P=0.0001).
• A notable decrease in urinary symptoms, as measured by both ICIQ-UI SF (P=0.009) and ICIQ-OAB (P=0.0003) scores, was also recorded.

Conclusions:

• Pelvic floor muscle training is a highly effective intervention for enhancing pelvic floor muscle strength.
• This training concurrently leads to a significant reduction in urinary symptoms for both pregnant and postpartum women.