Prevalence of Urinary Incontinence and Sexual Dysfunction of Pregnant Women Assisted at a Familiar Health Center in Santiago of Chile

Abstract

Introduction: Pregnancy is a period of different physical, hormonal, psychological and social changes that may cause symptoms of urinary incontinence and problems in sexual functioning.
Objective: To analyze the prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) and sexual dysfunction of pregnant women of a family health center in the metropolitan region of Chile and to compare the sexual function between continent and incontinent pregnant women.
Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 50 women during their gestational period. Urinary incontinence was evaluated with the ICIQ-SF questionnaire and sexual function with the Feminine Sexual Function Index, both validated in Chile. The Mann Whitney U test was used, p< 0.05.
Results: The prevalence of UI was 42 %, 8 % of the pregnant women referred that UI affected their quality of life very much (VAS= 10). The average score of sexual function was 27.3 (SD= 6.4). The prevalence of sexual dysfunction was 36 % (n= 18). There was significant difference between pregnant women with and with no UI in relation to the excitation (p= 0.028) and lubrication (p= 0.026) domains. Data indicate that both UI and sexual dysfunction are present problems in pregnant women, which can affect quality of life.
Conclusions: It is recommended to carry out preventive health programs, education and workshops for pelvic floor rehabilitation to address these problems.