Does Episiotomy Influence Vaginal Resting Pressure, Pelvic Floor Muscle Strength and Endurance, and Prevalence of Urinary Incontinence 6 Weeks Postpartum?

Aims The aim of the present study was to compare vaginal resting pressure (VRP), pelvic floor muscle (PFM) strength and endurance, and prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) at 6 weeks postpartum, in women with and without lateral or mediolateral episiotomy.Methods Two hundred and thirty-eight nulliparous pregnant women, mean age 28.5 years (SD 4.2) and pre-pregnancy BMI 23.8 (SD 4.0) participated in the study. Lateral or mediolateral episiotomy was only performed for indications such as fetal distress or imminent risk of severe perineal tear. At 6 weeks postpartum, a vaginal balloon connected to a high precision pressure transducer was used to measure VRP (cm H2O), PFM strength (cm H2O), and endurance (cm H2O sec). All women completed the International Classification of Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI-SF) by means of an electronic questionnaire.Results No statistically significant differences were found in VRP (mean difference 0.0cm H2O, 95%CI: -2.1 to 2.1), PFM strength (mean difference 1.3cm H2O, 95%CI: -1.9 to 4.6), or PFM endurance (mean difference 12.1cm H2O sec, 95%CI: -11.0 to 35.1) between women with or without episiotomy. No significant differences were found in prevalence of UI (37.5% vs. 46.6%) or SUI (23.6% vs. 35.6%), between women with or without episiotomy, respectively.Conclusions PFM function and/or prevalence of post-partum UI were not affected by a lateral or mediolateral episiotomy. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.