Urinary incontinence after normal delivery can happen due to changes in the pelvic floor muscles, since during normal delivery there is greater pressure in this region and enlargement of the vagina for the birth of the baby.
Although it can happen, not all women who have had a normal birth will develop urinary incontinence. This condition is more frequent in women whose childbirth is prolonged, had induction of labor or the baby is large for the age of birth, for example.
Does normal childbirth cause urinary incontinence?
Normal delivery can cause urinary incontinence, due to the damage it can cause to the integrity of the muscles and innervation of the pelvic floor, which are very important for the maintenance of urinary continence. However, this does not mean that all women who have a normal birth will suffer from this problem.
Factors that may increase your risk of developing post-partum urinary incontinence include:
- Induced labor; Baby weight over 4 kg; Prolonged delivery.
In these situations, there is a greater risk of women having urinary incontinence because the pelvic muscles become more flaccid, allowing urine to escape more easily.
Generally, in births that occur naturally, in which the woman is calm from beginning to end and when the baby weighs less than 4 kg, the pelvis bones open slightly and the pelvic muscles completely stretch, then return to your normal tone. In most of these cases, the chances of suffering from urinary incontinence are very low.
Watch the following video, in which nutritionist Tatiana Zanin, Rosana Jatobá and Silvia Faro talk in a relaxed way about urinary incontinence, especially in the postpartum period:
How the treatment is done
In the case of urinary incontinence, the treatment that is generally used is the practice of Kegel exercises, which are exercises of contraction and strengthening of the pelvic muscles, which can be performed with or without the assistance of a health professional. Learn how to perform Kegel exercises.
In addition, in some cases, treatment can also be performed through physical therapy or surgery to repair the perineum, however surgery is not recommended right after delivery. See more about treatment for urinary incontinence
