Urinary incontinence among primiparous women

The purpose of this study was to explore the symptoms of urinary incontinence among primiparous women.

This descriptive study used a paper and pencil mail survey. A sample of 300 primigravida mothers (aged 16 to 45 years; 10 weeks to 8 months postpartum) was garnered from a university-affiliated city-county hospital.

Most respondents (53%, n = 65/122) reported urinary incontinence (UI) symptoms sometime before, during, or after pregnancy. Few respondents (6.2%, n = 4) had UI symptoms continuously across all time periods surveyed. Age did not contribute to UI when a comparison was made among mothers who were very young (aged 16 to 19 years), young (aged 20 to 29 years), and mature (aged 30 to 36 years). None of the respondents with persistent or current UI had reported the symptoms to a health care provider. Of those who had reported their symptoms (n = 11), only four mothers received any recommendations for treatment.

However common UI may be during pregnancy, it is commonly overlooked as a problem amenable to simple and effective behavioral treatments. This study shows that UI is equally problematic for very young mothers and more mature mothers. Additional studies are indicated among very young mothers to document factors related to prevalence and incidence.