Frequency and factors associated with urinary incontinence in pregnant adolescents: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Study Objective: To determine the overall frequency of urinary incontinence in pregnant adolescents, focusing particularly on the presence of symptoms of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and coital incontinence (CI), and to describe the biological, sociodemographic, clinical, urinary, reproductive, sexual, and lifestyle factors associated with incontinence.

Design: A cross-sectional, descriptive study.

Setting: The outpatient clinic for high-risk pregnancies at the Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Fernando Figueira (IMIP) in Recife, Pernambuco, in the Northeast of Brazil.

Participants: A convenience sample of 103 pregnant adolescents who attended for prenatal consultations during the study period.

Interventions: Data were collected on the participants’ characteristics and information based on the Incontinence Severity Index (ISI) questionnaire.

Main Outcome Measures: Frequency of urinary incontinence and possible correlations between the women's characteristics and SUI and CI symptoms.

Results: Mean age (±standard deviation) was 16.76 ± 1.8 years. Urinary incontinence was present in 60.1% of the patients. Of these, 37.8% had SUI and 33.9% CI. In addition, 30.8% of the patients with CI also had SUI. There were statistically significant associations between CI and the occurrence of SUI prior to pregnancy (100%; PR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.48-2.13; P = .011), between SUI and chronic coughing (60%; PR = 1.95; 95% CI: 1.23-3.09; P = .009), and between CI and height (41.9%; PR = 1.00; 95% CI: 0.27-1.00; P = .036).

Conclusion: Urinary incontinence is a dysfunction that may affect pregnant adolescents, with symptoms possibly beginning as early as the first trimester of pregnancy.