Supervised pelvic floor muscle training among pregnant women with urinary incontinence: a randomized controlled trial

INTRODUCTION: During pregnancy, the functions of the pelvic floor muscles are modified, which predispose women to develop urinary incontinence (UI). AIMS: 1. To evaluate the effect of a supervised pelvic floor muscle exercise (PFME) program on UI and the interference of the UI in the quality of life of pregnant women; 2. To evaluate the effect of a supervised PFME program in the pelvic floor muscle strength (PFMS) among incontinent pregnant women. METHODS: Parallel randomized controlled trial, nested into a cohort of women during pregnancy, conducted on an insurance health care facility, in Guarulhos, SP. The population was women with UI, from 20 to 27 gestational weeks. The sample size was estimated at 74 pregnant women allocated into the experimental group (EG = 37) and control group (CG = 37), with a significance level of 5% and power of 80%. However, as the final sample obtained was 53 pregnant women (EG=31 and GC=22), the power of the test was recalculated to 41%. The EG intervention consisted of six biweekly sessions of PFME supervised by a physical therapist. Women in both groups were instructed verbally and in writing to perform the same perineal exercises at home. Data were collected before and after the intervention, in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy respectively, by the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF) and perineometry (Peritron). Descriptive, inferential and multivariate analysis was performed. RESULTS: 96 women were considered eligible, 17 refused to participate and 79 were randomly allocated in EG (n=43) and CG (n=36). At the end of the study, 31 women of the EG and 22 of the CG were assessed. In the EG, 18 (58.1%) and in the CG 10 (45.5%) women were continent, without statistically significant difference. Nevertheless, the IU reduction was significant (p=0.028) among the women of EG who attended at least four PFME sessions, and indicates that each session reduced 24% the chance of UI (OR=0.76; 95%CI 0.62-0.95; p=0.014). Women of both groups who underwent regularly perineal exercises at home (at least twice a week) had less UI in the third trimester of pregnancy (p=0.014). At the beginning of the trial, the ICQ-SF score was 8.7 (SD=3.1) in the EG and 7.6 (SD=4.9) in the CG. However, in the third trimester of pregnancy, this score was 7.7 (SD=3.9) in EG and 9.3 (SD=4.6) in the GC, with no statistically significant differences for the group effect or trimester of pregnancy. Regarding PFMS in the second trimester of pregnancy, the average in the GE was 26.3 (SD=16.8) cmH2O and in the GC was 25.7 (SD=14.8) cmH2O. Considering only the pregnant women of GE who attended at least four PFME sessions, in the third trimester of pregnancy the PFMS average was 29.1 (SD=17.6) and 23.7 (SD=12.8) cmH2O in the experimental and control groups, respectively, with a statistically significant difference (p=0.013). Pregnant women with overweight and obesity showed lower PFMS (p=0.013), independently of the group and trimester of pregnancy. There was no statistically significant association between PFMS and IU in the third trimester of pregnancy. CONCLUSION: The effect of the supervised PFME program in reducing UI during pregnancy depends on the number of sessions. Perineal exercises regularly performed at home are effective to reduce UI and to increase PFMS. Overweight and obesity during pregnancy have effect on reducing the PFMS