Exercises to strengthen the perineum after childbirth.

• Register: REBEC
• Last refreshed on: 29 April 2013
• Main ID: RBR-9hhr2g
• Date of registration: 06/11/2011
• Primary sponsor: Programa de pós-graduação em Ciências da Saúde da Universidade Federal de Goiás - Brazil
• Public title: Exercises to strengthen the perineum after childbirth.
• Scientific title: Effects of a training program of pelvic floor muscles after childbirth.
• Date of first enrolment: 17/01/2011
• Target sample size: 23
• Recruitment status: recruitment completed
• URL: http://www.ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-9hhr2g/
• Study design: Clinical Trial non-randomized controlled open and two arms.

Countries of recruitment

Brazil

Contacts

• Name: Thais Assis
• Affiliation: Universidade Federal de Goiás

• Name: Thaís Assis
• Affiliation: Universidade Federal de Goiás

Key inclusion & exclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Inclusion criteria were maternal age between 18 and 35 years, parous women (2-4 children) and late postpartum vaginal delivery of a single fetus at term (in current and previous births).
Exclusion criteria: Postpartum women were excluded who required the use of forceps during vaginal delivery (current and past births), women who underwent vaginal delivery of babies over 4 kg and below 2.5 kg (current and past births) in women who have had surgery perineal region, women with urinary symptoms before, during or after pregnancy and who performed perineal exercises before or during pregnancy.

Age minimum: 18Y
Age maximum: 35Y
Gender: F

Health Condition(s) or Problem(s) studied

Conditions of the pelvic floor muscles after childbirth.
D053580

Intervention(s)

Were performed strengthening exercises for the pelvic floor muscles after childbirth. Women included in the study were divided into treatment group and control group. The treatment group completed 8 weeks of supervised exercise for the physiotherapist responsible for the research project. These exercises started about 40 days postpartum and were conducted individually with a frequency of twice a week and lasted approximately 40 minutes per session. The control group received no intervention or guidance on exercises.

Primary Outcome(s)

Verification of vaginal muscle strength by digital palpation, which will ask the patient to contract the perineal muscles and the researcher will give a note based on the Oxford scale (Bo and Finckenhagen, 2003), graduated from 0 to 5. This is a subjective assessment of muscle strength. After 15 minutes of the evaluation of muscle strength by palpation bidigital mentioned above, there will be an objective assessment of strength through the vaginal perineometer. This unit graduate the strength of the patient through a vaginal probe with a pressure sensor will show the strength of the perineal muscle contraction, performed by the patient.

Secondary Outcome(s)

Evaluation of the perception of changes in sexual activity through a questionnaire prepared by the researcher responsible for this research.

Secondary ID(s)

183/2009

Source(s) of Monetary Support

Universidade Federal de Goiás - Brazil

Secondary Sponsor(s)

Waldemar Naves do Amaral - Brazil