Patient-reported outcome measures for pregnancy-related urinary and fecal incontinence: A prospective cohort study in a large Italian population

Objective To investigate prevalence and risk factors of pregnancy-related urinary/fecal incontinence (UI/FI) in a large Italian population. Methods This is a prospective cohort study analyzing patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures obtained from the systematic longitudinal survey on the maternity pathway of Tuscany from March 2019 to April 2021. Four questionnaires were completed by 6023 women from the beginning of pregnancy until 6 months postpartum, each including two PRO measures-Wexner scale for FI and ICIQ-SF for UI-, and questions investigating sociodemographic/clinical factors. After assessing UI/FI prevalence at each time-point, we run panel regressions to explore the related risk factors. Results Women reporting UI and FI were, respectively, 24.3% and 6.2% in the third trimester, and 12.6% and 4.2% 6 months postpartum. UI occurrence and severity were higher in highly educated, aged >30, and overweight/obese women. Spontaneous tears or episiotomy were risk factors for postpartum UI, while receiving cesarean-section and performing pelvic-floor-muscle-training during pregnancy were protective, mainly in specific groups. Finally, higher FI prevalence and severity emerged in overweight, aged >40, highly educated, non-Italian women and in those undergoing tears. Conclusion We employed PRO measures to investigate the epidemiology of pregnancy-related UI/FI and detect the main risk groups. Pelvic-floor-muscle-training may be recommended in women with peculiar sociodemographic/clinical features.

Automated summary

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of pregnancy-related urinary/fecal incontinence (UI/FI) in a large Italian population. The results showed that highly educated, aged >30, and overweight/obese women had higher incidence and severity of UI. Spontaneous tears or episiotomy were risk factors for postpartum UI, while cesarean section and pelvic floor muscle training during pregnancy were protective, especially in specific groups. Higher prevalence and severity of FI were found in overweight, aged >40, highly educated, non-Italian women, and those undergoing tears.