Brostrøm S, Lose G
Many women suffer from urinary incontinence (UI). During and after pregnancy, women are advised to perform pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) to prevent the development of UI. In established UI, PFMT is prescribed routinely as first-line treatment. This article argues that previous studies lack validity and that the available evidence suggests a lack of long-term efficacy of peripartum PFMT. In established UI, there seems to be a modest immediate response to PFMT. They suggest that a critical reappraisal of PFMT is needed, and judgments on the place of PFMT in current clinical practice should be reserved until further evidence, including cost-benefit analyses, has unequivocally demonstrated a clinically relevant efficacy.
Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 2008, 87(4), 384-402