URINARY INCONTINENCE THREE MONTHS AFTER DELIVERY;

PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate prevalence of urinary incontinence at 3 months postpartum and
to study how continence status during pregnancy and different factors influence urinary incontinence at 3 months postpartum in
primiparous women. Setting: Pregnant women attending routine antenatal clinic at Ziauddin hospital and Kharader general hospital
Karachi were recruited to this study. Methods: Urinary incontinence before and during pregnancy was assessed at study enrolment early
in the third trimester. Incontinence was re-assessed three months postpartum. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the role of
maternal and obstetric factors in causing postpartum urinary incontinence. Results: Urinary incontinence was reported in 15 women
(10.6% ) out of 141 women, mode of delivery, onset of labor weight of the baby, episiotomy, and the length of the second stage of labor,
were not predictive of urinary incontinence after delivery. Adjusted RR for incontinence after spontaneous vaginal delivery compared with
elective caesarean section was 2.200(95% CI .6-7.28) among women who were continent during pregnancy. Conclusions: Urinary
incontinence was prevalent 3 months postpartum. The association between incontinence postpartum mode of delivery, onset of labor,
perineal trauma and weight of baby was not statistically significant.