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Pelvic floor muscle training programme in pregnant Nepalese women—a feasibility study

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Abstract

Introduction and hypothesis

Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) is internationally recommended for prevention and treatment of urinary incontinence (UI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP). However, there is lack of knowledge about PFMT among pregnant Nepalese women. The objectives of this study were to develop a PFMT programme and to assess the feasibility of the programme.

Methods

A feasibility study was conducted to address aspects of the PFMT programme provided to pregnant women attending antenatal check-ups at Kathmandu University Dhulikhel Hospital. The women were recruited consecutively from June 2017 to April 2018. The PFMT programme consisted of attending a minimum of four supervised PFMT follow-up visits after inclusion to the programme and performing PFMT daily at home. Feasibility was assessed in terms of the recruitment capability, sample characteristics, data collection procedures, outcome measures, and acceptability (attendance to PFMT visits, PFMT adherence, participant experiences) of the programme. Data were collected using self-reported questionnaires. Educational material (video, leaflet, and exercise diary) was developed in Nepali.

Results

Among 253 women included, 144 (57%) attended four or more supervised PFMT visits. No significant differences were found in the symptoms of UI (0.89) and POP (0.44) between those attending and those not attending four PFMT visits. Half of the women adhered to 50–100% of PFMT daily at home. The supervised PFMT and the educational material motivated the women to daily PFMT.

Conclusion

The PFMT programme was acceptable, at least to those living in the district of the study site. The results and experiences from the current study may guide implementation and future studies on the effectiveness of PFMT in Nepal.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department at Kathmandu University Dhulikhel Hospital, Nepal, for providing permission to conduct the study. We also thank the research assistants Ms. Jashmi Maharjan and Ms. Jesmina Maharjan for help with data collection as well as Gill Brook for valuable help with the language editing of the manuscript and the video text. Finally, the authors thank all the women who participated in the study.

Funding

The study is funded by the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund through the Norwegian Quota Scheme, Norway, and by the Association for Support of Physiotherapy in Nepal, Switzerland.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiotherapy, Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences, Kathmandu University Dhulikhel Hospital, Dhulikhel, Nepal

    Ranjeeta Shijagurumayum Acharya & Bimika Khadgi

  2. Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Ranjeeta Shijagurumayum Acharya

  3. Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway

    Ranjeeta Shijagurumayum Acharya & Britt Stuge

  4. Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway

    Anne Therese Tveter & Margreth Grotle

  5. National Advisory Unit on Rehabilitation in Rheumatology, Department of Rheumatology, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway

    Anne Therese Tveter

  6. FORMI, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway

    Margreth Grotle

  7. Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

    Ingeborg Hoff Braekken

Authors
  1. Ranjeeta Shijagurumayum Acharya
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  2. Anne Therese Tveter
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  3. Margreth Grotle
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  4. Bimika Khadgi
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  5. Ingeborg Hoff Braekken
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  6. Britt Stuge
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Contributions

R Shijagurumayum Acharya: Project development, data collection, data analysis, manuscript writing.

A Therese Tveter: Data analysis, critical revision of the manuscript.

M Grotle: Project development, critical revision of the manuscript.

I Hoff Braekken: Project development, critical revision of the manuscript.

B Khadgi: Project development, data collection, critical revision of the manuscript.

B Stuge: Project development, data analysis, critical revision of the manuscript.

The study was presented at the 7th International Conference of the Society of Obstetric Fistula Surgeons (ISOFS), Kathmandu, Nepal, 5–8th December 2018, as a poster presentation.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ranjeeta Shijagurumayum Acharya.

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Shijagurumayum Acharya, R., Tveter, A.T., Grotle, M. et al. Pelvic floor muscle training programme in pregnant Nepalese women—a feasibility study. Int Urogynecol J 31, 1609–1619 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-019-04053-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-019-04053-1

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