Urinary Incontinence and Anxiety in Pregnancy

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of the presence and the severity of UI on pregnancy related anxiety status in a well-defined pregnant cohort. The correlations were also analyzed in terms of the UI subtypes as stress urinary incontinence (SUI), urge urinary incontinence (UUI) and mixed urinary incontinence (MUI). A total of 160 pregnant women applied to outpatient clinics of Obstetrics and Urology Departments were included in the current study. Patients were compared in two groups in terms of Study group including pregnant women who were diagnosed with the UI (n=80) and Control group including healthy pregnant women (n=80). The study was approved by the institutional review board of Ankara Training and Research Hospital (# 0067/2019). All the participants were informed, and written consent was obtained before the participated the study.

Physical examination was performed to diagnose the pelvic organ prolapse and the findings were classified through the five categories based on Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q). According to POP-Q, only the pregnant women diagnosed with category 0 or category 1 were included in the study. All the pregnant women included in the current study were married and multiparous women, at the second trimester of the pregnancy, with uncomplicated pregnancies and regular pregnancy follow-up. Pregnancies complicated by chronic maternal diseases (rheumatological diseases, renal failure, vascular malformations, hypertension, cardiac disease, diabetes mellitus, obesity, hypo-hyperthyroidy, congenital hematological disorders), acute inflammatory conditions (acute pancreatitis, acute appendicitis), pregnancy complications (gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, preterm labor, preterm premature rupture of membranes), history of alcohol consumption, having multiple pregnancies, psychiatric diseases, cognitive disorders, neurogenic bladder, fecal incontinence, chronic constipation, chronic cough, urinary infection, history of pelvic surgery including incontinence surgeries and/or taking medication for UI were excluded from the current study. Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Questionnaire-Revised (PRAQ-R2) scale was used to evaluate the anxiety status of the participants. The International Consultation of Incontinence Questionnaire - Short Form (ICIQ-SF) which has been defined by Hajebrahimi et al. as a reliable scale, and validated in Turkish by Demircan et al. was used for the evaluation of UI. This scale includes questions about the frequency of UI, the conditions at which UI occurs and how much it affects the social life of the person. UI subtypes were diagnosed according to the definitions of the International Continence Society.

Inclusion criteria

The pregnant women who were diagnosed with the urinary incontinence (n=80) with category 0 or category 1 Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) score in physical examination.

Healthy women with uncomplicated pregnancies (n=80) with no complaint or finding of urinary incontinence.

Married and multiparous women, at the second trimester of the pregnancy, with uncomplicated pregnancies and regular pregnancy follow-up.

Exclusion criteria

Pregnancies complicated by chronic maternal diseases, acute inflammatory conditions, pregnancy complications, history of alcohol consumption, having multiple pregnancies, psychiatric diseases, cognitive disorders, neurogenic bladder, fecal incontinence, chronic constipation, chronic cough, urinary infection, history of pelvic surgery including incontinence surgeries and/or taking medication for urinary incontinence were excluded.