Bothersome Urinary Symptoms Common 12 Months Postpartum

THURSDAY, July 11, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Bothersome urinary symptoms and incontinence are common at 12 months postpartum, according to a study recently published in Urogynecology.

Sonia Bhandari Randhawa, M.D., from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and colleagues sought to identify factors associated with persistent (i.e., 12 months postpartum), bothersome urinary symptoms, including stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and urgency urinary incontinence (UUI). The analysis included data from 419 participants in the extending Maternal Care After Pregnancy cohort.

The researchers found that SUI (32.5 percent) was significantly associated with increasing body mass index at the time of delivery and greater depression screening scores. There was no association for SUI and fetal birth weight, mode of delivery, degree of laceration, or breastfeeding status. There was a significant association between UUI (16.5 percent) and increasing parity and higher anxiety screening scores. Participants with urinary symptom bother also had significantly greater parity and higher anxiety screening scores.

“At 12 months postpartum, bothersome urinary symptoms and incontinence were quite common,” the authors write. “Since these are treatable, postpartum screening for urinary complaints — and associated anxiety and depression — is essential, as is assisting patients in achieving a healthy weight.”

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