Association between physical activity and urinary incontinence during
pregnancy and postpartum: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract
Background The impact of physical activity during pregnancy and
postpartum on urinary incontinence in women is unclear. Objectives To
assess the association of physical activity and urinary incontinence
during pregnancy and postpartum in a systematic review of the
literature. Search Strategy A search of publications indexed in five
major electronic databases (CENTRAL, PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL and PEDro)
was performed from their respective inception dates to the 30 March 2020
with a combination of keywords to identify studies of interest. Google
Scholar was used for non-indexed literature. Selection Criteria All
studies comparing physical activity with standard care in pregnant and
postpartum women were selected. Data collection and Analysis Two
reviewers, independently, selected studies, assessed quality and
extracted data. Odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals were
calculated using fixed effects or random effects meta-analyses
(Mantel-Haenszel method), for low and moderate heterogeneity between
studies, respectively. Main Results Seven studies (n = 12479) were
included. Data of four studies could be pooled for meta-analyses;
subgroup and sensitivity analyses were not possible. Physical activity,
either during pregnancy or postpartum, is not associated with urinary
incontinence, OR 0.90 (95% CI: 0.69–1.18) and OR 1.31 (95% CI:
0.74–2.34), respectively. Conclusions The ‘low’ quality of evidence
(GRADE) does not show that physical activity during pregnancy or
postpartum has any impact on urinary incontinence. Moderate physical
activities should therefore be encouraged for the evidence-based
benefits associated on other obstetrical outcomes. Funding None to
declare. Keywords Pregnancy; postpartum; urinary incontinence; physical
activity; exercise