Stress urinary incontinence and counseling and practice of pelvic floor exercises postpartum in low-income Hispanic women

The purpose of the study was to provide estimates of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and practice of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) postpartum as well as counseling during and after pregnancy among Hispanic women. Two hundred Hispanic women were surveyed 6 months postpartum. Twenty-three percent had SUI with onset primarily during pregnancy (70%). Only 20% had received information regarding SUI and PFMT during pregnancy or postpartum. Most women not counseled wished they were (81%). Less counseling occurred among Hispanic women with lower levels of education (odds ratio [OR] = .39; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.19–0.82; p = 0.02) and those whose primary language was Spanish (OR = .36; 95% CI = 0.15–0.87; p = 0.02), while higher rates occurred among women with a forceps delivery (OR = 2.94; 95% CI = 1.06–7.78; p = 0.03). Fifty-seven percent of women counseled practiced the exercises. Primary reasons for noncompliance were belief that PFMT would not help (47%), and not understanding the instructions (39%). SUI and PFMT counseling is low among Hispanic women. Most women desire such information, and improvement in performance of PFMT among this group is possible.