Abstract
Aims The aim of the study was to analyze the influence gymnastics has on the quality of life (QOL) in women with grade 1 stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and to determine the relationship between the outcome and selected body weight indices: body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Methods A randomized study of 140 women (45-60 years) with grade 1 SUI. The subjects were randomly assigned to a 3-month training for pelvic floor muscles and a transverse abdominal muscle (PFM + TrA, n = 70) or PFM alone (n = 70). The QOL was determined with the questionnaire International Consultation on Incontinence Modular Questionnaire–Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Quality of Life (ICIQ LUTS QOL), before and after the program. Results Women with BMI < 30 kg/m2 benefited more from the PFM + TrA program with respect to physical limitations and embarrassment domains, whereas patients with a gynoid body type (WHR < 0.8) benefited more in terms of physical and social limitations, SUI-evoked emotions, severity measures, and embarrassment domains. Conclusions After the PFM + TrA training, women with WHR < 0.8 had a better QOL than those with WHR > 0.8.
Highlights
Overweight and obesity predispose to stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in perimenopausal women
The post hoc analysis demonstrated a significant influence of body mass index (BMI) on the outcomes of the exercise training, expressed as physical limitations (Q4a) and embarrassment (QW) scores; beneficial effects of the pelvic floor muscle (PFM) + transverse abdominal muscle (TrA) program on the quality of life (QOL) in these two domains were observed primarily in women with normal BMI
Of their BMI, women participating in the PFM + TrA exercise program showed significantly better scores for social limitations (Q4b), SUI-evoked emotions (Q6), and severity measures (Q8), as well as significantly better overall QOL scores
Summary
Overweight and obesity predispose to stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in perimenopausal women. The reduction of body weight in patients with obesity or overweight results in lower incidence of SUI, lesser frequency of incontinence episodes, and a better quality of life (QOL) [2]. A high WHR means that women’s distribution of fat is in the intra-abdominal region of the body. When SUI is present, such a PFM contraction, preceding the increase of IAP, stabilizes the urethra and prevents leakage of urine [5]. In the study conducted by Townsend et al [6] in a group of older women (54-79 years), BMI increment was associated with higher incidence of urge and mixed UI, whereas a larger waist circumference correlated with a more frequent occurrence of SUI.
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