Urge Urinary Incontinence and Pregnancy: A Systematic Review

To identify risk factors for urge urinary incontinence (UUI) in the prenatal period and following pregnancy. Characterization of prevalence of and interventions for UUI during this period were also examined.

A total of 1850 studies were initially identified through a database search. After removing duplicates (308 studies), 102 studies underwent full-text review following title and abstract assessment. After applying further selection criteria, 37 articles were included in the review. The studies span from 1993 to 2020 and involved sample sizes ranging from 58 to 6369 women, with participant ages averaging from under 19 to 39 years old. Body mass index, gestational diabetes mellitus, maternal age, parity, a history of urinary incontinence, and instrumental vaginal deliveries, that contribute to the onset or exacerbation of UUI. There was a large focus on patient questionnaires on symptoms. Analyzing data from over 25,000 patients, our study identifies several risk factors, both non-interventional and interventional that contribute to the onset or exacerbation of UUI. The strong focus on patient questionnaires on symptoms, and only secondary focus on quality of life, sexual function, or mental health point to a large gap in the literature where more work can be done.