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Knowledge of women during the third trimester of pregnancy regarding pelvic floor disorders

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Abstract

Introduction and hypothesis

The objective was to examine knowledge regarding pelvic floor disorders (PFDs) among women during the third trimester of pregnancy.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted at a large teaching medical center in Israel between June and September 2020. Women in their third trimester (N = 649) were asked to complete the validated Hebrew and Arabic versions of the Prolapse and Incontinence Knowledge Questionnaire (PIKQ). The PIKQ instrument examines the knowledge of two major PFDs: urinary incontinence (UI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP). The study population included women over 18 years of age, in the third trimester, who speak and read Hebrew or Arabic fluently. Two separate scores were calculated, one for each section of the PIKQ. The association of questionnaire scores with the different independent variables was examined using Student's t test or one-way ANOVA. Correlations were examined using Pearson's or Spearman's correlation coefficient.

Results

The Hebrew version was filled out by 405 women, and 244 women completed the Arabic version. The average questionnaire scores were 7.65 ± 2.8 and 5.32 ± 2 for the UI and POP sections respectively. Significantly higher average scores in both the UI and the POP sections were noted among health care workers (UI: 10.19 ± 2.3 vs 7.34 ± 2.6, p < 0.001; POP: 8.27 ± 2.7 vs 4.97 ± 2.6, p < 0.001), women with higher education (p < 0.001 in both parts) and those with higher incomes (p < 0.001 for both parts).

Conclusions

Knowledge of PFD among women in the third trimester of pregnancy in Israel was found to be low. Founding educational programs for targeted groups may improve both the knowledge of PFD and the quality of life for these women.

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Acknowledgements

In memory of my dad, Dr. David Yohay, Head of Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Soroka University Medical Center, who passed away during the work on this study. This article is part of my final work in order to recieve the MD degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. 

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Military Medicine and “Tzameret”, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Medical Corps, Israel Defense Forces, Jerusalem, Israel

    Neriya Zion Yohay

  2. Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    Neriya Zion Yohay

  3. Shaare Zedek Medical Center, affiliated with the Hebrew University School of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel

    Ari Weiss

  4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Soroka University Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheba, Israel

    Adi Y. Weintraub, Kochav Daya, Maayan Elnir Katz, Debi Elharar, Zehava Yohay & Tamar Eshkoli

  5. Barzilai Nursing Academy University Medical Center, Ashekelon, Israel

    Raya Tashlizky Madar

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  1. Neriya Zion Yohay
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Contributions

N.Z. Yohay: project development, data collection, manuscript writing; A.Y. Weintraub and T. Eshkoli: project development, manuscript editing; A. Weiss: manuscript writing; K. Daya, M. Elnir Katz, D. Elharar, Z. Yohay, and R. Madar: data collection. All the authors approved the final manuscript as submitted and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

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Correspondence to Neriya Zion Yohay.

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In memory of my dad, Dr. David Yohay, Head of Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Soroka University Medical Center, who passed away during the work on this study. This article is part of my final work in order to recieve the MD degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. 

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Yohay, N.Z., Weiss, A., Weintraub, A.Y. et al. Knowledge of women during the third trimester of pregnancy regarding pelvic floor disorders. Int Urogynecol J 33, 3407–3414 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-022-05098-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-022-05098-5

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