Urinary incontinence during pregnancy. Is there a difference between first and third trimester?

The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and severity of urinary incontinence and to see if there are any differences between first and third trimester of pregnancy.

A cross-sectional study of two groups of women was conducted. All patients attending our hospital for obstetric ultrasound examination during the first trimester (group 1=less than 13 weeks of pregnancy) and third trimester (group 2=up to 28 weeks of pregnancy) were eligible for inclusion. All participating women completed self-reported questionnaires: ICIQ-SF, PFDI-20 (UDI-6, CRADI-8, POPDI-6) and SF-36. The variables studied were biodemographic data and results from questionnaire responses.

From March 2012 to May 2012, 224 consecutive pregnant women were included in this study: group 1 (n=58) and group 2 (n=166). The incidence of urinary incontinence during pregnancy is different in first and third trimester: 18.96% (11 of 58) and 39.76% (66 of 166) (p=0.008). 100% and 84.12% of women with UI in first trimester and third trimester respectively leak a small amount of urine. In 15.87% of group 2 the leakage was a moderate amount of urine. Participants mainly presented Stress UI (78.37%) and urge was only present in 12.16% of them.

In conclusion, according to the results obtained, the prevalence of urinary incontinence in our population of pregnant women was 34.37%, which means that more than a third of the population of pregnant women is affected, and that this disorder is more common during the third trimester of pregnancy than during the first. The most common form was stress urinary incontinence, affecting 48.05% of the women. In all patients, leakage was slight-moderate that did not severely hamper their everyday life but did affect their physical, mental and social domains of their quality of life. Another problem, even more prevalent than incontinence itself, was the increase in urinary frequency, affecting 41.25% of the pregnant women and causing discomfort/distress in the 68.8%.