The effectiveness of post-partum interventions to prevent urinary incontinence: a systematic review

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: to assess the effectiveness of post-partum interventions to prevent urinary incontinence: a systematic review. METHOD: systematic review of randomized controlled studies conducted in the MEDLINE, Cochrane, Scopus and the Virtual Library on Health (Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde, BVS) databases. RESULTS: six articles were included in this review. All studies used the Pelvic Floor Muscle Training as the main procedure to prevent urinary incontinence. The results pointed to a positive and effective intervention in the post-partum period. CONCLUSION: there is evidence that programs of exercise of the pelvic floor musculature performed both in the immediate and late post-partum result in a significant increase in muscle strength and contribute to prevent urinary incontinence.