Urinary incontinence and quality of life in high-performance swimmers: An observational study.

Each day more women around the world practice high impact physical activities and this may be a risk factor for urinary incontinence (UI) in young. We verified the prevalence of UI and the impact in quality of life (QoL) in high-performance swimmers, through a cross-sectional observational study with 9 high performance swimmers and 9 sedentary women who responded the International Consultation on incontinence Questionnaire - Short Form (ICIQ-SF), participated in a functional evaluation of pelvic floor muscles with bidigital palpation and pad test. We verifed that was present in 78% of high-performance swimmers, and the quality of life was significantly worse (p =.037) when compared to sedentary women. These findings led us to conclude that presence of UI affects the quality of life, even if it is not a factor of abandonment of the sport.

Sexual Function and Quality of Life in Brazilian Transgender Women Following Gender-Affirming Surgery: A Cross-Sectional Study.

This cross-sectional and descriptive study aimed to evaluate the sexual function, urinary function, and quality of life of 26 Brazilian trans women who have undergone gender-affirming surgery (GAS) using the gold standard technique (penile inversion vaginoplasty) in the Gender Identity Transdisciplinary Program at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil, between March 2016 and July 2017. The Female Sexual Function Index, the SF-36 Health Survey, and the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form were used. Regarding their surgical results, 84.6% of the women said they were satisfied, 73.1% were sexually functional, and 15.4% reported urinary incontinence not associated with surgery. Participants also reported a good quality of life, despite low scores of pain and physical vitality. Transgender women in our sample reported a good quality of life and sexual function after GAS. Further studies are required to improve the psychosexual wellbeing of this specific population.

Sexual dysfunctions in female university students and the correlation with body image: a cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: This study aims to correlate female sexual dysfunctions and dissatisfaction with female university students' body image. METHODS: 276 female university students completed an online questionnaire, including sociodemographic data, the Female Sexual Function Index, and the Body Shape Questionnaire. RESULTS: 31.1% reported some degree of dissatisfaction with body image, and 39.5% had a risk of female sexual dysfunction. The majority of women with a risk of female sexual dysfunctions (69.4%) had no concerns with shape, and the majority of women without sexual problems (67.7%) had no concerns with shape. Pearson's coefficient underlined no correlation between Body Shape Questionnaire and Female Sexual Function Index domains. CONCLUSION: The body image perception did not seem to affect the sexual function of female university students in our sample. However, it is important to further investigate these variables to improve women's quality of life.

Pelvic floor evaluation in CrossFit® athletes and urinary incontinence: a cross-sectional observational study.

Athletic urinary incontinence is characterized by urinary loss during sports practice. This condition occurs in the case of CrossFit®, a modality based on high intensity training and functional movements, it can also be considered as having a high impact on the pelvic floor. This study aimed to compare the force and the contraction capacity of the pelvic floor musculature and urinary incontinence between female CrossFit® practitioners (AG) and non-practitioners (CG). We performed a cross-sectional observational study in the period from December 2018 and May 2019. Complaints of urinary incontinence was assessed by the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire - Short Form (ICIQ-SF); the functional evaluation of the pelvic floor was performed by digital palpation; resting tone, maximum voluntary contraction, fast contractions and sustained contraction of the pelvic floor muscles was tested by electromyography. The prevalence of urinary incontinence was significantly higher in AG compared with CG (p < .001). Nevertheless, we did not find significant differences between the two groups for functional assessment and electromyographic parameters. The AG presented a prevalence 60% of UI, while CG only 9,5 (p < 0,001). Considering this point, tailored prevention strategies seem mandatory in this population, in order to allow early identification and management of urinary incontinence.

Quality of Life and Urinary Incontinence Symptoms in Women Undergoing Bariatric Surgery: A Combined Case-Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: Obese women with large abdominal volume may present with elevated intra-abdominal and intravesical pressure due to their high body mass index (BMI), which leads to an imbalance in the mechanism responsible for urinary continence. Thus, these women have a 2-fold chance of developing urinary incontinence (UI) than nonobese women. Because increased BMI represents a risk factor for UI development, we hypothesize that its reduction could alleviate or decrease the symptoms of this condition in obese women. Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe the impact of weight loss on the severity of UI symptoms and quality of life (QoL) in women undergoing bariatric surgery. METHODS: This was a combined case-cohort study lasting 1 year, with 26 obese women aged 18 to 59 years who underwent bariatric surgery and presented preoperative UI. The participants' BMI was calculated, their UI was assessed through the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form, and QoL by the King's Health Questionnaire. Reassessments were performed at 3, 6, 9, and 12 postoperative months. RESULTS: We found no significant association between BMI reduction and prevalence and severity of UI. However, the 8-point reduction in BMI was sufficient to decrease the severity of UI. Quality of life improved significantly in 7 of the 9 domains evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results of our study, we can conclude that the reduction in the prevalence and severity of UI together with weight loss induced by bariatric surgery was more evident in the first 3 months postoperatively, impacting positively the QoL of these women.

Behavioral therapy versus drug therapy in individuals with idiopathic overactive bladder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The aim of this study was to systematically review randomized clinical trials comparing the treatment of individuals with overactive bladder syndrome through the use of behavioral therapy versus drug therapy. A systematic electronic search of MEDLINE via PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library was performed, including studies indexed until August 2019. Five randomized clinical trials were included. The studies presented a high risk of bias. There was no significant difference between the evaluated treatments. Thus, behavioral therapy and drug therapy also promote the improvement of the symptoms of overactive bladder syndrome, and the behavioral therapy does not have significant adverse effects reported. Due to the high risk of bias in included studies, data should be interpreted with caution. Future studies with more comprehensive protocols may change the effect estimates of behavioral therapy on overactive bladder syndrome.

Clinical and Psychological Outcomes of the Use of Vaginal Dilators After Gynaecological Brachytherapy: a Randomized Clinical Trial.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate the dimensions of the vaginal canal in patients undergoing gynaecological brachytherapy and the effect of the use of vaginal dilators (VD) used in the follow-up of pelvic physiotherapy. METHODS: A total of 88 patients were randomly allocated to the control group (CG) and intervention group (IG). Three evaluations were performed: pre-brachytherapy, post-brachytherapy and follow-up of 3 months. The CG received standard guidance from the health team while the IG was instructed to use VD for 3 months. The dimensions of the vaginal canal (main outcome) were defined by the length of the vagina (centimetres), width (number of full clockwise turns of the opening thread of a gynaecological speculum) and area (defined by the size of the VD). Quality of life and pelvic floor (PF) functionality were also evaluated. RESULTS: There was no effect of the VD on vaginal length, width and area among the intention-to-treat (ITT) population. However, in the analysis stratified by adhesion, the CG had a significant decrease in the vaginal area. PF was predominantly hypoactive throughout the follow-up. Quality of life improved in both groups, but the reduction of constipation, vaginal dryness and stress urinary incontinence manifested only in the IG. CONCLUSION: The use of VD did not alter the dimensions of the vaginal canal within the first 3 months after the end of radiotherapy treatment. However, there was a large sample loss during follow-up so studies with a larger sample number and longer follow-up time need to be conducted. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT03090217.