Urinary Incontinence among Pregnant Women in Third Trimester of Pregnancy in a Tertiary Care Center: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Urinary incontinence is an involuntary passage of urine. The aim of the study was to find the prevalence of urinary incontinence among pregnant women in the third trimester of pregnancy at a tertiary care center.

Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care center from
March 2021 to May 2021. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board
(reference number: 854/2077/78). Convenience sampling method was used. A descriptive analysis of socio-demographic profile and urinary incontinence symptoms were recorded on International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence-Short Form questionnaire and analysis were done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences 27. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and proportion for binary data.

Results: Among 277 pregnant women admitted in the antenatal ward, urinary incontinence was present in 26 (9.4%) (95% Confidence Interval= 5.96-12.84). Among them, stress urinary incontinence 16 (61%) was most common followed by mixed incontinence 6 (23%). Majority of them 18 (69.3%) had small leaks with almost all 25 (96.2%) having only a mild to moderate impact on the quality of life. Majority 197 (71.2%) had features of lower urinary tract syndrome.

Conclusions: Our study showed similar prevalence of urinary incontinence compared to other international studies.