Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) is called as a silent epidemic which is not a life threatening condition, but a worldwide problem at the same time. It affects the quality of life of at least one third of women globally in many ways and may limit women’s social and personal relationships.
Research design: A Quasi experimental pre/posttest design was utilized.
Setting: The study was conducted in the urinary incontinence clinic of Alexandria Regional Center for Women’s Health and Development.
Subjects: A total sample of 60 women with stress urinary incontinence was recruited by a purposive sampling approach. They were assigned randomly into two equal groups. Group (I) study group comprised of 30 women; were given Kegel's exercise training program in addition to their routine care. Group (II) control group consisted of 30 women; were receiving the routine care only. The study subjects who were willing to participate in the study were selected according to eligibility criteria.
Tools of the study: Four tools were used by the researchers namely; Tool 1: Basic data interview schedule, it included three parts, part i: Socio-demographic and obstetric history, part ii: Daily workload level and part iii: usual urination pattern. Tool II: Modified Oxford Grading Scale is a reliable and valid vaginal palpation rating scale, used to measure pelvic floor muscle strength. Tool III: Urogenital Distress Inventory - short form (UDI-6) and Tool IV: The modified Arabic version of Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ-7).
Findings: No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in relation to their socio-demographic characteristics, for age, marital status and educational level. A highly statistically significant difference was found between the control and study groups, in relation to their mean pelvic floor muscle strength, symptoms of UI and impact on Quality of Life before Kegels' exercise compared to the end of twelve weeks of the study after training. Conclusion and Recommendations: This study concluded that; Kegel's exercise for a duration not less than six weeks is an effective practice for SUI in women. It also, has significant positive effect on strengthens pelvic floor muscle, reducing SUI symptoms and significantly improves the QOL of women with SUI, which is a vital indicator of their psychosomatic, emotional, and social functions. |
