Perineal Muscle Strength During Pregnancy and Postpartum: the Correlation Between Perineometry and Digital Vaginal Palpation

Authors

  • Maria Luiza Gonzalez Riesco Universidade de São Paulo; Escola de Enfermagem
  • Adriana de Souza Caroci Centro Universitário Adventista de São Paulo
  • Sonia Maria Junqueira Vasconcellos de Oliveira Universidade de São Paulo; Escola de Enfermagem
  • Maria Helena Baena de Moraes Lopes Universidade Estadual de Campinas; Faculdade de Ciências Médicas

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-11692010000600014

Keywords:

Pelvic Floor, Electromyography, Perineum, Lacerations

Abstract

Digital vaginal palpation performed during clinical practice can help diagnose urinary, intestinal and sexual disorders, while perineometry is more useful for performing perineal exercises with biofeedback. This study verifies whether there is a correlation between values of Pelvic Floor Muscle Strength (PFMS) obtained through perineometry performed with an electronic perineometer and through digital vaginal palpation using the Oxford scale. This is a prospective cohort study with 330 measurements carried out in 110 women. Data were collected from 2007 to 2008 in the health service system in Itapecerica da Serra, São Paulo, Brazil. Evaluations were carried out at three points in time: up to 12 weeks of pregnancy; between 36-40 weeks; and between 42-60 days postpartum. The Spearman coefficient indicated a strong positive correlation between the two evaluation methods for the three evaluations (p<0.0001). The conclusion is that both methods are valid for measuring PFMS during pregnancy and after delivery.

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Published

2010-12-01

Issue

Vol. 18 No. 6 (2010)

Section

Original Articles

License

RLAE’s authorship concept is based on the substantial contribution by each of the individuals listed as authors, mainly in terms of conceiving and planning the research project, collecting or analyzing and interpreting data, writing and critical review. Indication of authors’ names under the article title is limited to six. If more, authors are listed on the online submission form under Acknowledgements. The possibility of including more than six authors will only be examined on multicenter studies, considering the explanations presented by the authors.
Including names of authors whose contribution does not fit into the above criteria cannot be justified. Those names can be included in the Acknowledgements section.
 Authors are fully responsible for the concepts disseminated in their manuscripts, which do not necessarily reflect the editors’ and editorial board’s opinion.

 

How to Cite

Riesco, M. L. G., Caroci, A. de S., Oliveira, S. M. J. V. de, & Lopes, M. H. B. de M. (2010). Perineal Muscle Strength During Pregnancy and Postpartum: the Correlation Between Perineometry and Digital Vaginal Palpation . Revista Latino-Americana De Enfermagem, 18(6), 1138-1144. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-11692010000600014