Quality of life of women with urinary incontinence in the postpartum period: an integrative literature review
Urinary incontinence (UI) during pregnancy and after childbirth can negatively impact women's lifestyles, health, and well-being. It is a common problem that is often normalized by both healthcare professionals and women. This integrative review examines the influence of UI on women's qual...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Global Women's Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2025.1562572/full |
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| author | Filipa Daniela Lopes Filipa Daniela Lopes Filipa Daniela Lopes Carolina Henriques Carolina Henriques Carolina Henriques Maria da Saudade Lopes Maria da Saudade Lopes Isabel Margarida Mendes Isabel Margarida Mendes |
| author_facet | Filipa Daniela Lopes Filipa Daniela Lopes Filipa Daniela Lopes Carolina Henriques Carolina Henriques Carolina Henriques Maria da Saudade Lopes Maria da Saudade Lopes Isabel Margarida Mendes Isabel Margarida Mendes |
| author_sort | Filipa Daniela Lopes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Urinary incontinence (UI) during pregnancy and after childbirth can negatively impact women's lifestyles, health, and well-being. It is a common problem that is often normalized by both healthcare professionals and women. This integrative review examines the influence of UI on women's quality of life (QoL) during the postpartum period and identifies the main affected domains. It will also contribute to the discussion of the results of a primary study. Fourteen studies were included in this review, mainly from Brazil and Spain, with most using quantitative methods. The findings indicate that UI negatively affects the QoL of women during the postpartum period, with mixed UI causing greater discomfort despite stress UI being more frequent. The main affected domains are general health perception, physical functioning, daily life activities, psychological/emotional/mental and social aspects, and sexuality. Effective interventions should promote women's self-care and enhance their awareness and recognition of the problem. These interventions should go beyond physical aspects to address emotional and psychological dimensions, such as low self-esteem and self-image, secrecy, embarrassment, and reluctance to seek help. Nurse midwives have specialized skills and can work within multidisciplinary teams to improve the QoL of women with UI at a time of increased vulnerability. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-20ae564cbbb84db4878bcaec1c16f5f4 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2673-5059 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Global Women's Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-20ae564cbbb84db4878bcaec1c16f5f42025-08-20T03:51:59ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Global Women's Health2673-50592025-05-01610.3389/fgwh.2025.15625721562572Quality of life of women with urinary incontinence in the postpartum period: an integrative literature reviewFilipa Daniela Lopes0Filipa Daniela Lopes1Filipa Daniela Lopes2Carolina Henriques3Carolina Henriques4Carolina Henriques5Maria da Saudade Lopes6Maria da Saudade Lopes7Isabel Margarida Mendes8Isabel Margarida Mendes9Health Sciences Research Unit, Nursing, Nursing School of Coimbra, Coimbra, PortugalNursing School of Coimbra, Coimbra, PortugalUniversity of Coimbra, Coimbra, PortugalHealth Sciences Research Unit, Nursing, Nursing School of Coimbra, Coimbra, PortugalSchool of Health Sciences, Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, Leiria, PortugalciTechCare—Center for Innovative Care and Health Technology, Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, Leiria, PortugalSchool of Health Sciences, Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, Leiria, PortugalciTechCare—Center for Innovative Care and Health Technology, Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, Leiria, PortugalHealth Sciences Research Unit, Nursing, Nursing School of Coimbra, Coimbra, PortugalNursing School of Coimbra, Coimbra, PortugalUrinary incontinence (UI) during pregnancy and after childbirth can negatively impact women's lifestyles, health, and well-being. It is a common problem that is often normalized by both healthcare professionals and women. This integrative review examines the influence of UI on women's quality of life (QoL) during the postpartum period and identifies the main affected domains. It will also contribute to the discussion of the results of a primary study. Fourteen studies were included in this review, mainly from Brazil and Spain, with most using quantitative methods. The findings indicate that UI negatively affects the QoL of women during the postpartum period, with mixed UI causing greater discomfort despite stress UI being more frequent. The main affected domains are general health perception, physical functioning, daily life activities, psychological/emotional/mental and social aspects, and sexuality. Effective interventions should promote women's self-care and enhance their awareness and recognition of the problem. These interventions should go beyond physical aspects to address emotional and psychological dimensions, such as low self-esteem and self-image, secrecy, embarrassment, and reluctance to seek help. Nurse midwives have specialized skills and can work within multidisciplinary teams to improve the QoL of women with UI at a time of increased vulnerability.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2025.1562572/fullwomenurinary incontinencepostpartum periodquality of lifenursing |
| spellingShingle | Filipa Daniela Lopes Filipa Daniela Lopes Filipa Daniela Lopes Carolina Henriques Carolina Henriques Carolina Henriques Maria da Saudade Lopes Maria da Saudade Lopes Isabel Margarida Mendes Isabel Margarida Mendes Quality of life of women with urinary incontinence in the postpartum period: an integrative literature review Frontiers in Global Women's Health women urinary incontinence postpartum period quality of life nursing |
| title | Quality of life of women with urinary incontinence in the postpartum period: an integrative literature review |
| title_full | Quality of life of women with urinary incontinence in the postpartum period: an integrative literature review |
| title_fullStr | Quality of life of women with urinary incontinence in the postpartum period: an integrative literature review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quality of life of women with urinary incontinence in the postpartum period: an integrative literature review |
| title_short | Quality of life of women with urinary incontinence in the postpartum period: an integrative literature review |
| title_sort | quality of life of women with urinary incontinence in the postpartum period an integrative literature review |
| topic | women urinary incontinence postpartum period quality of life nursing |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2025.1562572/full |
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