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Lower urinary tract symptoms in primiparous women before and during pregnancy

  • Maternal-Fetal Medicine
  • Published:
Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), in particular urinary incontinence (UI), commonly develops during pregnancy or following delivery. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of the LUTS before and during pregnancy, and to demonstrate the relationships between various obstetric parameters and UI.

Methods

For this observational study, 1,501 consecutive primiparae who delivered at ≥36 gestational weeks were recruited in a tertiary hospital. A urogynecological questionnaire was used to assess the prevalence of LUTS before and during pregnancy. The relationships between various obstetric parameters and UI were analyzed.

Results

Prevalence of LUTS increased over the course of pregnancy. The most commonly reported LUTS symptoms, regardless of pregnancy trimester, were nocturia (51.1%) and frequency (40.3%), UI (37.5%), urgency (31.1%), incomplete bladder emptying (26.3%), straining (15.3%), and voiding difficulty (14.5%). Stress UI (SUI) (26.7%) was more common during pregnancy than mixed UI (6.1%) or urge UI (4.7%). Women with a prepregnancy BMI >30 were at increased risk of developing de novo SUI during pregnancy. Urge incontinence during pregnancy was associated with smoking.

Conclusions

The prevalence of LUTS generally increased with gestational age. UI during pregnancy was associated with prepregnancy BMI and smoking.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Medical Research Project, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (grants CMRPG33048 and BMRP412).

Conflict of interest

All authors report no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, 333, Taiwan

    Ching-Chung Liang & Shuenn-Dhy Chang

  2. College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan

    Ching-Chung Liang & Shuenn-Dhy Chang

  3. Department of Health Care Management, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan

    Shu-Jen Lin

  4. Resource Center of Clinical Research, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan

    Yu-Jr Lin

Authors
  1. Ching-Chung Liang
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  2. Shuenn-Dhy Chang
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  3. Shu-Jen Lin
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  4. Yu-Jr Lin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ching-Chung Liang.

Appendix: Lower urinary tract symptoms questionnaire

Appendix: Lower urinary tract symptoms questionnaire

  1. 1.

    Lost any urine when you (stress urinary incontinence):

    1. a.

      coughed, laughed, sneezed, or did physical exercise

    2. b.

      did housework, walked, or changed position

  2. 2.

    Gone to the toilet more than seven times during the day? (frequency)

  3. 3.

    Had to wake more than once during the night to void? (nocturia)

  4. 4.

    Felt a sudden compelling desire to void, which was difficult to defer? (urgency)

  5. 5.

    Leaked urine if you had to wait to use the toilet, or leaked on your way to the toilet? (urge incontinence)

  6. 6.

    Felt incomplete emptying after rising from the toilet? (incomplete emptying)

  7. 7.

    Had difficulty initiating micturition when you have been ready to pass urine? (voiding difficulty)

  8. 8.

    Had to use abdominal strength to pass urine? (straining)

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Liang, CC., Chang, SD., Lin, SJ. et al. Lower urinary tract symptoms in primiparous women before and during pregnancy. Arch Gynecol Obstet 285, 1205–1210 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-011-2124-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-011-2124-2

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