INVESTIGATION OF PELVIC FLOOR MUSCLE STRENGTH AND AFFECTING FACTORS IN WOMEN IN THE REPRODUCTIVE AGE
Project no. 794 · Status: Kapanmış · 2017
Summary
ABSTACT Aim: In women of reproductive age, the effectiveness of perinometer and Modified Oxford Scale diagnostic methods in the evaluation of pelvic floor muscle strength and the evaluation of pelvic floor muscle strength is very important in early identification of women in the risk group who do not have incontinence problems. Accordingly, this study was carried out to evaluate the pelvic floor muscle strength of women of reproductive age between the ages of 18-49 and to examine the factors affecting the pelvic floor muscle strength. Method: The population of the study consisted of 1,200 women who met the research criteria applied to the gynecology outpatient clinic of Ege University Medical Faculty between December 2018 and December 2019. The sample of the study consisted of 248 women whose universe was calculated by the known sampling method. Modified Oxford Scale and perinometer were used to evaluate the pelvic floor muscle strength after filling the sociodemographic properties information form to women who accepted to participate in the research and complied with the research criteria. Findings: The average age of the participants in the study was calculated as 34.92 ± 9.20. As a result of the perineometry evaluation, the average of pelvic floor muscle strength was 31.56 ± 12.17, and it was 2.72 ± 1.26 with the Modified Oxford Scale.As a result of the correlation analysis between the modified Oxford Scale and the perineometer measurement method, it was determined that there was a highly positive relationship. In terms of the sociodemographic characteristics of women; age groups, education, marital, working, income, constant cough, using smoking-alcohol-caffeine, constant constipation, urinary tract infection, regular sports and body mass indexes, in terms of obstetric and gynecological variables; gestational life, delivery method, episiotomy at birth, perineal rupture at birth, using forceps vacuum at birth, multiple pregnancy, giving birth to 4000gr and above, receiving treatment for conception, removing uterus, being menopausal period, frequency of sexual intercourse, feeling pain during sexual intercourse was found statistically significant difference between both measurement results (perineometer and Modified Oxford Scale) and pelvic floor muscle (PFM) strength values (p <0.05). Conclusion: As a result of Modified Oxford Scale and perineometry evaluation, it was determined that women of reproductive age had moderate pelvic floor muscle strength and MOS and perineometry results were consistent in the evaluation of pelvic floor muscle strength. In women of reproductive age, there are many individual and obstetric and gynecological risk factors affecting pelvic floor muscle strength, so it is seen that early identification of all women with Modified Oxford Scale in the clinical evaluations and teaching of pelvic floor exercises are important in maintaining healthy continence in all women of reproductive age.