Urinary incontinence is defined as “the complaint of any involuntary leakage of urine” and is a common problem in the female population with prevalence rates varying between 10% and 55% in 15- to 64-year-old women. The most frequent form of urinary incontinence in women is stress urinary incontinence, defined as “involuntary leakage on effort or exertion, or on sneezing or coughing”. The aim of this article is to systematically review the literature on urinary incontinence and participation in sport and fitness activities with a special emphasis on prevalence and treatment in female elite athletes. Stress urinary incontinence is a barrier to women’s participation in sport and fitness activities and, therefore, it may be a threat to women’s health, self-esteem and well-being. The prevalence during sports among young, nulliparous elite athletes varies between 0% (golf) and 80% (trampolinists). The highest prevalence is found in sports involving high impact activities such as gymnastics, track and field, and some ball games. A ‘stiff’ and strong pelvic floor positioned at an optimal level inside the pelvis may be a crucial factor in counteracting the increases in abdominal pressure occurring during high-impact activities. There are no randomised controlled trials or reports on the effect of any treatment for stress urinary incontinence in female elite athletes. However, strength training of the pelvic floor muscles has been shown to be effective in treating stress urinary incontinence in parous females in the general population. In randomised controlled trials, reported cure rates, defined as <2g of leakage on pad tests, varied between 44% and 69%. Pelvic floor muscle training has no serious adverse effects and has been recommended as first-line treatment in the general population. Use of preventive devices such as vaginal tampons or pessaries can prevent leakage during high impact physical activity. The pelvic floor muscles need to be much stronger in elite athletes than in other women. There is a need for more basic research on pelvic floor muscle function during physical activity and the effect of pelvic floor muscle training in female elite athletes.

Urinary Incontinence, Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, Exercise and Sport

Objective There is preliminary evidence linking longterm participation in high-impact exercise with poor performance in labor and increased incidence of stress urinary incontinence, which may be due to altered pelvic floor function. Recent work has shown that HIFIT (high-impact, frequent intense training) athletes have an increased cross-sectional area of the levator ani muscle group as visualized using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The aim of this study was to further characterize pelvic floor muscle function and pelvic organ descent in a nulliparous athletic population and compare it with nonathletic controls matched for age and body mass index, using three-dimensional/four-dimensional (3D/4D) pelvic floor ultrasound imaging. Methods In this prospective comparative study translabial ultrasound imaging was used to assess pelvic floor anatomy and function in 46 nulliparous female volunteers (aged 19‐39 years), 24 HIFIT and 22 controls. Twodimensional (2D) and 3D translabial ultrasonography was performed on all subjects, after voiding and in the supine position. Descent of the pelvic organs was assessed on maximum Valsalva maneuver, whilst volume datasets were acquired at rest, during pelvic floor muscle contraction and during a Valsalva maneuver. Participants performed each maneuver at least three times and the most effective was used for evaluation. Results HIFITathletes showeda higher mean diameter of the pubovisceral muscle (0.96 cm vs. 0.70 cm, P < 0.01), greater bladder neck descent (22.7 mm vs. 15.1 mm, P = 0.03) and a larger hiatal area on Valsalva maneuver (21.53 vs. 14.91 cm 2 , P = 0.013) compared with the control group. There were no significant differences in hiatal area at rest or on maximal voluntary contraction between the two groups. Conclusion HIFIT athletes show significant differences in several of the measured parameters for both function and anatomy of the pelvic floor. Further research into the impact of this altered function on childbirth and continence mechanisms is needed. Copyright ! 2007 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Pelvic floor function in elite nulliparous athletes.

Is urinary incontinence a barrier to exercise in women

Guidelines on physical activity or exercise and pregnancy encourage pregnant women to continue or adopt an active lifestyle during and following pregnancy.1–3 Two systematic reviews of pregnancy-related guidelines on physical activity found similarities between recommendations from different countries, but noted that the guidelines differed in focus.4 ,5 The guidelines provided variable guidance on prenatal exercise, or on how pregnant women might approach continuing or adopting sport activities.6 However, most guidelines did not include important topics such as prevalence and known risk factors for common pregnancy-related diseases and complaints, and the role of exercise in preventing and treating them.

Importantly, the focus of most previous guidelines has been on healthy pregnant women in the general population, in whom there is almost always a decline in physical activity during pregnancy.7 ,8 Indeed, a high proportion of pregnant women follow neither physical activity nor exercise guidelines,9 putting them at increased risk of obesity, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and other pregnancy-related diseases and complaints.1

On the other hand, there are enthusiastic exercisers and elite athletes who often meet and exceed general exercise recommendations for pregnant women, but there are no exercise guidelines specifically for these women. Important questions for such women are unanswered in current guidelines: Which activities, exercises and sports can they perform, for how long and at what intensity, without risking their own health and the health of the fetus? How soon can they return to high-intensity training and competition after childbirth?

The IOC and most National Sports Federations encourage women to participate in all Olympic sport disciplines. The IOC promotes high-level performance, and it is also strongly committed to promoting lifelong health among athletes10—not just during their competitive sporting careers. With an increasing number of elite female athletes competing well into …

https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/bjsports/50/10/571.full.pdf

Exercise and pregnancy in recreational and elite athletes: 2016 evidence summary from the IOC expert group meeting, Lausanne. Part 1—exercise in women planning pregnancy and those who are pregnant

Physical activity and the pelvic floor

During trampoline jumping the pelvic floor is exposed to high forces. There has been a general belief that physically fit women have a strong pelvic floor as a result of their regular training, thus preventing urinary incontinence. The aim of this study was to survey the prevalence of stress urinary incontinence in female elite trampolinists. The prevalence of urinary incontinence was assessed by a questionnaire, sent to all 35 elite trampolinists (mean age 15, range 12-22 years) in Sweden. Eighty percent of the trampolinists reported involuntary urinary leakage, but only during trampoline training. The leakage started after 2.5 (range 1-4) years of training. Age (P < 0.001), duration of training (P = 0.04), and training frequency (P = 0.01) were significantly associated with leakage. All women above 15 years of age (n = 23) reported urinary leakage (P < 0.001). Eighteen incontinent women continued the study and their leakage was verified by a pad test. The leakage averaged 28 g during a jump session. The muscle strength was measured with perineometry in 10 women and showed good strength in the pelvic floor muscles.

K. Eliasson

Papers

Prevalence of stress incontinence in nulliparous elite trampolinists.