Anal incontinence and quality of life in late pregnancy

What is it about?

Symptoms of anal incontinence and leakage of stool, gas or problems holding your bowles are common in pregnancy and after delivery. Few seek medical advice for these problems due to lack of knowledge on who and where to turn to for help and that these problems can be treated. The bothersomeness and how anal incontinence symptoms affects Quality of Life is unclear.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

One in three pregnant first time mothers reported anal incontinence to affect their Quality of Life in the last four weeks of pregnancy. Overall, women experiencing the combination of more than one symptom of anal incontinence had poorer Quality of Life, but experiencing involuntary leakage of gas weekly or more often was highly embarrassing and affectied Quality of Life the most.