466 Knowledge of Pelvic Floor Disorders among nulliparous and multiparous women in Israel

Abstract

An adequate knowledge of the possible long-term consequences of labor on the development of pelvic floor disorders (PFD) may better enable women to make informed decisions regarding their perinatal care, and to increase their awareness to seek help if PFD appear. In this study, we aimed to examine the knowledge of women during the third trimester of pregnancy regarding PFD. A cross-sectional study was performed at a large university medical center in Israel between June to September 2020. Women in their third trimester of pregnancy were asked to complete the validated Hebrew version of the Prolapse and Incontinence Knowledge Questionnaire (PIKQ). The PIKQ is a reliable and valid instrument that specifically examines the knowledge of two major PFD: Urinary Incontinence (UI) and Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP). The study population included women over 18 years who speak and read Hebrew fluently and who have consented to participate in the study. Two separate scores were calculated, one for each section of the PIKQ. Scores were then compared across subgroups using the student's t-test or one-way ANOVA. Correlations were examined using Pearson's or Spearman's correlation coefficient. During the study period, 360 women in their third trimester of pregnancy were included and had completed the Hebrew version of the PIKQ. The means and standard deviations (SD) for the UI scores were 7.59±2.8 and the POP scores were 5.16±2. A significant difference in woman's knowledge was found between nulliparous (N=126) and multiparous (N=234) parturient in both the UI (7.1±2.9 vs 7.8±2.6 P = 0.023) and in the POP (4.6±2.8 vs. 5.4±2.7 p<0.01) domains of the questionnaire. Multiparous women scored higher in both (Table 1, 2). The knowledge of pelvic floor disorders among nulliparous women was found to be lower compared with multiparous women. Founding educational programs for nulliparous women may facilitate making informed decisions regarding perinatal care and seeking help if PFD appears.View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT)