Obesity as a predictor of postpartum urinary symptoms

Background. To investigate the relationship between pre‐pregnancy obesity, and urinary symptoms, especially urinary incontinence, before, during, and 6–18 months after delivery. Methods. Body Mass Index extracted from obstetric records. Postal questionnaire. Material and setting. One hundred and eight women with Body Mass Index of at least 30 kg/m2 delivered at the Obstetric Department, Herning Central Hospital, October 1994 to September 1995. As control served 108 matched, normal weight women delivering during the same period. Result. Response rate was 83%. Stress incontinence, urgency and the feeling of having a hygienic problem was significantly more common after delivery in both groups, but at any time significantly more common among obese women. Urge incontinence was a numerically small problem after delivery. Conclusion. Obesity is a potent risk factor for several urinary symptoms after pregnancy and delivery, and a substantial number of women still have problems 6–18 months postpartum.