The effect of pregnancy and childbirth on the lower urinary tract and pelvic floor

Abstract

As the perinatal mortality rate has fallen, obstetricians have begun to focus on improving perinatal maternal and fetal morbidity. The relationship between pregnancy, parturition and the pelvic floor is quintessential to the obstetrician and urogynecologist. The lower urinary tract undergoes many physiological changes during pregnancy and these may manifest themselves as urinary symptoms. Also, the pelvic floor undergoes extreme trauma during parturition and this is often cited as a cause of uterovaginal prolapse and bladder symptoms later in life. If this relationship can be established, it may be possible to manipulate parturition to minimize long-term maternal morbidity from pelvic floor damage. The evidence for this will be examined in this chapter. © 2006 Springer-Verlag London Limited.