2021 Volume 17 Issue 1 Pages 14-18
The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of urinary incontinence and consultation rate in postnatal women. One hundred and one postnatal women within 1 year after childbirth participated in this study. We retrospectively evaluated the prevalence of urinary incontinence before and during pregnancy using a self-administered questionnaire, and the prevalence of urinary incontinence after childbirth was assessed by the International Consultation on Incontinence-short form (ICIQ SF). Differences in the characteristics of the participants between postnatal women with and without urinary incontinence were assessed. In addition, we investigated the consultation rate for urinary incontinence and a desire to consult with health professionals using self-administered questionnaire.
The prevalence of urinary incontinence before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and after childbirth was 4%, 64%, and 32%, respectively. The prevalence of urinary incontinence before and during pregnancy was significantly higher in postnatal women with urinary incontinence compared with those without urinary incontinence (P<0.05, P<0.001, respectively). The consultation rate among the postnatal women with urinary incontinence was 6%, whereas 19% of the postnatal women had a desire to consult health professionals. In conclusion, one third of the postnatal women who participated in this study had urinary incontinence; however, the consultation rate was quite low in Japan.
