Prevalence and incidence of urinary incontinence in pregnancy: a review

Abstract

The uncontrolled flow of urine that happens when someone sneezes, coughs, or engages in physical activity is known as urinary incontinence (UI). The most common kind of urine incontinence that affects women is this one. Hence, this study aimed to examine the incidence, prevalence, and contributing factors of pregnancy-related UI. An electronic literature search was conducted in the MEDLINE database using the search phrases "Urinary Incontinence," "UI," "Pregnancy," "Prevalence," and "Risk Factors" to discover relevant papers between 2018 and 2024. On Google Scholar, relevant search terms were employed to search for academic publications. Several inclusion criteria served as a guide for the selection of articles. It was found that urinary incontinence is a condition that often increases in prevalence from 6 months to 12 years postpartum. Typically, it is of low to moderate severity and has little impact on the overall well-being of the majority of persons. Furthermore, the study highlighted the importance of pregnancy, rather than the act of giving birth, in the subsequent development of urine incontinence in the long term after delivery. Women who gave birth vaginally had a greater occurrence of persistent UI as compared to those who had cesarean deliveries. During pregnancy, more than 50% of women suffered from urine incontinence. Nevertheless, the majority saw a rapid recovery during the first year after childbirth.