Evaluation of pelvic-floor muscle function and urinary incontinence in college women: a cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT This study evaluated the function and pressure of contraction of the Pelvic Floor Muscles (PFM) and the prevalence of Urinary Incontinence (UI) in university students. A cross-sectional study was conducted with nulliparous university students between 18 and 35 years old, who had already had sexual intercourse and never underwent physical therapy treatment for Pelvic Floor Muscle Disorders (PFMD). All volunteers underwent anamnesis, answered the International Consultation on incontinence questionnaire short form (ICIQ-SF) and the incontinence severity index questionnaire (ISI-Q), and had their PFM function and manometry evaluated. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used and the sample values are expressed in medians, interquartile ranges, absolute and relative frequencies. A total of 35 women were evaluated, 65.72% of whom had normal muscle tone, but only 5.71% performed adequate contraction of the PFM, with low medians for all stages of PERFECT and in the manometry of the PFM. The prevalence of UI was 57.14%, with Urgent Urinary Incontinence (UUI) being the most prevalent complaint (50%) and having moderate severity (55%). This study allowed to identify deficits in the role of PFM and high rates of UI in College Women, demonstrating the importance of making this public aware of this PFMD.