Pelvic Floor Muscle Training During Pregnancy and After Delivery

Objective: Female urinary incontinence is often considered a problem that occurs primarily during pregnancy and after childbirth. The aim of this article is to review the literature addressing pelvic floor muscle training in the prevention and treatment of urinary incontinence during pregnancy and after delivery. Method: Only full publications of prospective controlled studies were included. Urinary incontinence was the primary outcome variable and pelvic floor muscle training was the main intervention. Results: Four randomised controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of pelvic floor muscle training during pregnancy were found. Ten articles were identified addressing the effect of pelvic floor muscle training postpartum; seven of these presented RCTs, two presented matched controlled studies and a controlled study. Three were follow-up studies. The interventions included pelvic floor muscle training, however, various training protocols were used. All studies, except for two, reported statistically and clinically significant effects of the interventions, with a significant reduction in symptoms or frequency of urinary incontinence after the intervention period. No adverse effects of the interventions were reported. Conclusions: This review suggests that women should be encouraged to perform pelvic floor muscle training during pregnancy and postpartum to prevent and/or treat urinary incontinence.