ROLE OF KEGEL EXERCISES DURING PREGNANCY AND AFTER CHILDBIRTH
Keywords:
pregnancy, childbirth, Kegel exercises, quality of lifeAbstract
More than one-third of women experience unintentional (involuntary) loss of urine (urinary incontinence) in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, and about one-third leak urine in the first three months after giving birth. Urinary incontinence (UI) increases during pregnancy and continues into the postpartum period. Continued UI impacts women's comfort and affects aspects of their everyday lives. Kegel exercises, also known as Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) is commonly recommended by health professionals during pregnancy and after birth to prevent and treat incontinence. The muscles are strengthened and kept strong with regular PFMT. Muscles are contracted several times in a row, more than once a day, several days a week and continued indefinitely. The aim of this study is to describe the severity of UI and to determine the effect of practicing Kegel exercises during pregnancy and postpartum.
Methods of research: The Cochrane Specialized Incontinence Registry was searched, which contains trials identified by the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, MEDLINE In‐Process, MEDLINE Epub Ahead of Print, CINAHL, ClinicalTrials.gov, WHO ICTRP, and manual searched journals, conference proceedings and the reference lists of retrieved studies. Results: Kegel exercises appear to be beneficial in reducing severity and/or presence of Urinary incontinence. Kegels are considered the firstline treatment for UI. Pelvic floor muscle therapy or pelvic floor muscle exercises are terms that can be used for Kegel exercises. A daily regimen of 30 Kegels exercises one to three times daily for a minimum of 3 months is recommended to treat UI Discusion: Prevalence of Urinary incontinence (UI) before and during pregnancy and postpartum is high. Screening for UI is necessary and high-quality referrals for treatment are needed. Future research is needed to identify techniques that motivate women to routinely perform Kegel exercises. Learning about women's experiences and knowledge regarding Urinary incontinence and Kegel exercises may influence how health care professionals educate pregnant and postpartum women and diminish the impact that Urinary incontinence has on women's experiences of comfort and everyday life. Conclusions: Kegel exercises are a woman-controlled, noninvasive, preventative, and treatment for Urinary incontinence (UI). Providers can begin this movement by educating all women that UI should not be viewed as a normal life change pre-or postpartum. The main clinical issue is all women should receive consistent education and consistently perform Kegels. Women need awareness to request additional care and validation that a referral to physical therapy is beneficial and normal. The low rates of care seeking among women with persistent UI at 6 months post birth is concerning and requires more investigation. Further research is needed to identify what women require to become motivated to engage and adhere to Kegels as a daily regimen.
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