Effects of a physical exercise program on pelvic floor muscular activity in pregnant women with stress urinary incontinence

Urinary incontinence is experienced by all women and men who suffer as a real handicap. It is a real public health problem. The objective of this research is to study the effect of a physical exercise program on the muscular activity (strength and endurance) of the pelvic floor and the symptoms of urinary incontinence (quantity, frequency of urinary leakage, overall quality of life). This is an intervention study of 114 pregnant women with stress urinary incontinence selected at the National University Hospital Center in Cotonou (CNHU-HKM). We used the noprobability method and the reasoned sampling technique for the choice of women. The subjects were randomized into two groups: an experimental group of 48 women in the exercise program and a control group of 66 sedentary women. Pelvic floor muscle activity and urinary incontinence symptoms were assessed using a PFX2 perinometer, the Pad Test and the Ditrovie Scale questionnaire, respectively. The results showed that the exercise program significantly increased pelvic floor muscle activity (42.91% for maximal strength and 35.05% for dynamic endurance), significantly reducing the amount of loss. urinary frequency, and improves the overall quality of life of women with incontinence.