A Cochrane review «Woodley SJ, Lawrenson P, Boyle R, et al. Pelvic fl...»1 measured the impact of pelvic floor muscle training on urinary incontinence after giving birth. The pooled evidence of three trials (n = 696) suggested an uncertain decrease in self-reported urinary incontinence (risk ratio 0.55 [0.29 to 1.07]). In the same review, two trials measured the impact of PFMT on prevention or treatment of postnatal urinary incontinence and suggested a decrease in self-reported urinary incontinence (risk ratio 0.54 [0.44 to 0.66]) in short term (under three months) follow up.
The level of evidence was downgraded due to study limitations and imprecision.
| Reference | Study type | Population | Intervention and comparison | Outcomes | Risk of bias |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RCT=randomized controlled trial; SR=systematic review; MA=meta-analysis | |||||
| «Woodley SJ, Lawrenson P, Boyle R, et al. Pelvic fl...»1 | SR/MA | Postnatal women | Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) during pregnancy vs no intervention/usual care | Urinary incontinence | High |
| Reference | Comments |
|---|---|
| «Woodley SJ, Lawrenson P, Boyle R, et al. Pelvic fl...»1 | The PFMT programs and control conditions varied considerably and were often poorly
described. In this review, the comparison group in the two most influential trials,
which had the greatest impact on the pooled assessment, received standard care (which
may have included PFMT), complicating the evaluation. Risk of bias:
|
Results
| Reference | Number of studies and number of patients (I/C) | Follow-up time | Absolute number of events (%) I | Absolute number of events (%) C | Risk Ratio M-H, Random (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level of evidence: low The quality of evidence is downgraded due to study limitations, and imprecision. I=intervention; C=comparison; CI=confidence interval |
|||||
| «Woodley SJ, Lawrenson P, Boyle R, et al. Pelvic fl...»1 | 3 (341/355) | 6-12 months | 188 (55%) | 257 (72%) | 0.55 (0.29, 1.07) |
| Reference | Number of studies and number of patients (I/C) | Follow-up time | Absolute number of events (%) I | Absolute number of events (%) C | Risk Ratio M-H, Fixed (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level of evidence: low The quality of evidence is downgraded due to study limitations and imprecision. I=intervention; C=comparison; CI=confidence interval |
|||||
| «Woodley SJ, Lawrenson P, Boyle R, et al. Pelvic fl...»1 | 2 (194/127) | 3 months | 70 (36%) | 65 (51%) | 0.54 (0.44, 0.66) |