Prevalence and Risk Factors of Urinary Incontinence Among Women Delivering in a Tertiary Care Center of Northern India

Abstract

Introduction: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common problem in antenatal and postpartum period. This study investigated the prevalence and risk factors of urinary incontinence in post partum women. Methods: 500 women admitted in postnatal ward were interviewed using questionnaire over a period of six weeks. Detailed information regarding risk factors of urinary incontinence were included in questionnaire based on previous validated studies. Data was analyzed using SPSS 20 using chi square test. P value <0.05 was taken as significant. Results: Total 500 women were interviewed and based on questionnaire 202 reported incontinence, thus giving a prevalence of 40.4%, out of that 192 (45.5%) had stress urinary incontinence (SUI), 40(19.8 %) had urge urinary incontinence (UUI) and 70 (34.6%) had mixed incontinence. The risk factors like constipation and chronic cough had significant association with urinary incontinence. The symptoms of incontinence during pregnancy increased with advancing gestation (p=0.000). Conclusion: Urinary incontinence is a common and neglected problem with poor healthcare seeking behavior. SUI is more common in pregnant women than urge or mixed incontinence. Obstetricians need to ask leading questions in pregnant women to diagnose the problem with intention to treat. Significance: Urinary incontinence (UI) is known to have detrimental effects on quality of life in approximately 54.3 % of all pregnant women. However, the true prevalence of UI is still not known, especially in the South East Asia. The purpose of this article is to emphasize on prevalence of this problem, creating awareness among the clinicians to deal with it. The article also emphasizes upon the risk factors leading to incontinence in peripartum period.