Frequency of urinary incontinence associated with psychological distress among pregnant women.

BACKGROUND: Urinary incontinence is listed as an important condition affecting women. The function of the urinary tract is altered in pregnancy as a pregnant woman undergoes structural and physical changes. Stress urinary incontinence occurs when the bladder leaks urine due to physical exertion or activity. It influences women negatively affecting their social and work environment which is ultimately linked to reduced mental health.

The study aimed to find out the frequency of urinary incontinence associated with psychological distress among pregnant women.

METHOD: This was a cross-sectional study in which a nonprobability sampling technique was used. Data was collected from pregnant females (n=371) of age 18-45 from tertiary care hospitals of Peshawar. The revised urinary incontinence scale (RUSI) and Montgomery Asberg-depression rating scale (MADRS) questionnaire were used to assess the frequency of urinary incontinence and depression. The study duration for this study was 6 months.

RESULT: Out of 371 participants 166 (44.7%) had no complaints of UI, 148 (39.3%) were in the category of mild UI, 44 (11.9%) had moderate UI, while 13 (5.3%) complained of severe UI. 105 (28.3%) were mildly distressed whereas, 22 (5.9) had moderate depression. 244 (65.8%) pregnant women reported no sign of psychological distress. So mild to moderate UI was associated with psychological distress.

CONCLUSION: Psychological counseling should be encouraged among those pregnant women, with UI to reduce the effect of psychological distress as it is very important for pregnant women to be mentally sound. Pregnant women should be encouraged to train their pelvic floor muscles to reduce UI. Pregnancy-related Kegel exercises were found to be effective in strengthening pelvic floor muscles.