WellBeing of Women, the only UK charity dedicated to funding vital research and raising awareness of all aspects of reproductive health, has awarded a grant of over £109,000 to Dr Cathryn Glazener at the University of Aberdeen and colleagues in Birmingham and New Zealand to research the effect of childbirth on women’s health.
The long-term consequences of childbirth on urinary and faecal incontinence, prolapse and sexual dysfunction (collectively known as pelvic floor dysfunction) are poorly understood and under-researched.
It is generally realised that having a baby can have long-lasting effects on women’s health, although very few studies have examined all the relevant symptoms in detail or how often they might occur.
These problems can affect a woman’s quality of life eventually leading to the need for treatment such as physiotherapy, drugs or surgery.
The researchers intend to follow up over 8,000 women who were first recruited in 1993-1994, three months after they gave birth, who were surveyed again six years later.
The second survey, completed by the same team in 2000, found that around 40% of women had urinary incontinence after giving birth; 10% had faecal incontinence; and 20% showed possible early signs of vaginal prolapse.
Now, 12 years on, this follow-up survey will explore further the natural history of their pelvic floor function and relate it to childbirth and other factors (particularly caesarean section and forceps delivery) in order to unravel the causes of long-term problems and to see how often they occur.
Commenting of the study, Dr Glazener said, “It is hoped that this, the longest and largest ongoing long-term study of pelvic floor dysfunction worldwide, will significantly add to our knowledge about the relationship of childbirth with urinary and faecal incontinence and sexual problems. We anticipate that the results will be used to plan services for the future, identify factors which might be open to early intervention to prevent long-term problems, and enable the team to carry out other research with these women in the future, including long term follow up and trials of different treatments.
The charity’s Director, Liz Campbell said; “WellBeing of Women is about life –helping enable it, sustain it and make it of the best quality. By funding vital research, like this important study, we aim to make a valuable contribution to the development of tomorrow’s treatments.”
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