A The role of body mass index and age on pelvic floor muscle strength
Keywords:
Pelvic floor muscles, strength, body mass index, perineometerAbstract
Introduction: Pelvic floor is important in bladder and bowel control, supporting pelvic and abdominal organs, and also plays role in sexual response. Pelvic floor is composed of a group of muscles which span the inferior surface of the pelvis, forming the floor of the pelvic basin. Pelvic floor muscle (PFM) strength can be decreased by several risk factors, including age and Body Mass Index (BMI), yet there are still conflicting results regarding their correlation. The objective of this study was to determine whether age and BMI are correlated with the strength of pelvic muscle floor and to describe the percentage of pelvic muscle floor strength classification of healthy women in Yogyakarta, Indonesia according to the study protocols. Methods: This is a cross-sectional prospective observational study of 38 healthy women aged between 21 and 47 years-old. The pelvic floor muscles strength measurement was performed using perineometer. The pressure evaluation consisted of 3 maximal isometric contractions of the PFM for 4 seconds and were assessed using scale of manometry by Angelo. Body mass index were classified according to World Health Organization (WHO) and age was assessed by the demographic data of the subjects. Statistical analysis was completed with statistical software. Results: Total 32 subjects included in this study. The median age of study participants was 39.50 years-old. The mean BMI was 25.45 (± 4.74, CI 23.75 - 27.16) kg/m2, the median of sexual intercourse frequency was 2 (± 2, CI 1.57-2.61), and the mean perineometry score was 22.80 (±9.76; CI 18.76-25.0) cmH2O. According to Angelo scale, majority subjects had a weak PFM strength. There was no correlation found between PFM strength and age or BMI (p>0.05). Conclusions: Majority subjects of this study had a weak PFM strength according to Angelo scale. There was no significant correlation found between PFM strength in women and age or BMI.References
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