Pregnancy in Women With Prior Treatments for Pelvic Floor Disorders

The impact of pregnancy and childbirth on stress urinary incontinence in women previously submitted to mid-urethral sling: A systematic review and metanalysis

INTRODUCTION

There is no guideline or clinical consensus concerning the mid-urethral sling (MUS) operation for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and future pregnancies. The aim of this systematic review and metanalysis is to evaluate the impact of pregnancy and of delivery on SUI in women who previously sustained a MUS surgery.

METHODS

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis, according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines, and selected seven publications for inclusion in the analysis.

RESULTS

Recurrence of SUI after childbirth in women previously submitted to MUS was 22% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 18.0%-26.0%; I2 = 0%) while the reintervention rate for SUI the 5% (95% CI: 2.0%-8.0%; I2 = 47.34%) in the included studies. There was not statistically significant difference between women who delivered (both vaginally and by caesarian section) or not after MUS in SUI recurrence (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.73-1.40; p = 0.96 and I2-test of 41% p = 0.18) and in SUI reintervention (RR 1.45, 95% CI 0.91-2.30; p = 0.12 and I2-test of 0% p = 0.38) with homogeneity among studies. There was no difference between women who delivered vaginally or by caesarian section both for recurrence of SUI (RR 1.24, 95%CI 0.77-2.01; p = 0.37 and I2-test of 0% p = 0.60) and reintervention (RR 1.61, 95% CI 0.76-3.42; p = 0.22 and I2-test of 0% p = 0.47). BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2, urinary incontinence (UI) before and during pregnancy emerged as risk factors for postpartum UI relapse.

CONCLUSION

Childbirth do not affect SUI relapse or reintervention in women previously submitted to MUS. In the same population of patients, no difference was highlighted concerning the mode of delivery for the outcome SUI relapse or reintervention. Previous MUS surgery may not be an appropriate indication for cesarean birth in subsequent pregnancy.

The effect of subsequent pregnancy and childbirth on stress urinary incontinence recurrence following midurethral sling procedure: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to assess the risk of stress urinary incontinence recurrence and reoperation after a midurethral sling procedure in women with subsequent childbirth and to assess the effect of delivery mode on this risk.

DATA SOURCES

An electronic database search was performed using MEDLINE with the OvidSP interface and PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library up to September 20, 2023.

STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

This study included experimental and nonexperimental studies, composed of randomized controlled and observational (case-control, cohort, and cross-sectional) studies assessing the risk factors for stress urinary incontinence recurrence and reoperation after childbirth in women who had previously undergone a midurethral sling procedure for stress urinary incontinence.

METHODS

Analysis was performed using RevMan (version 5.3; Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford, United Kingdom). Quantitative synthesis was used if the included studies were sufficient in numbers and homogeneity. The overall certainty of the evidence was assessed using criteria recommended by the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation Working Group.

RESULTS

A total of 2001 studies were identified, of which 6 were eligible for analysis, composed of 381 patients who had at least 1 childbirth after a midurethral sling procedure (study group) and 860 patients who underwent a midurethral sling without having a subsequent childbirth (control group). All included studies were observational, the patients' mean age at the time of the midurethral sling procedure ranged from 34 to 36 years, and the mean time from midurethral sling procedure to delivery ranged from 21 to 31 months. No difference in stress urinary incontinence recurrence (relative risk, 0.1.02; 95% confidence interval, 0.78-1.33) or reoperation (relative risk, 1.37; 95% confidence interval, 0.87-2.17) was found between the study and control groups. The average follow-up time among the included studies of this comparison was 9.8 years (range, 2-18). Furthermore, the mode of delivery (vaginal vs cesarean) did not seem to affect the risk of stress urinary incontinence recurrence.

CONCLUSION

Subsequent pregnancy and childbirth did not increase the risk of stress urinary incontinence recurrence or reoperation after a midurethral sling procedure.

Pregnancy and Outcomes After Prolapse Surgery: A Case Series

IMPORTANCE

There are limited data on whether pelvic organ prolapse (POP) surgery is durable after subsequent delivery.

OBJECTIVES

The aims of this study were to evaluate the safety and durability of POP surgery after delivery and to describe the medical decision-making and clinical outcomes of patients who gave birth after POP surgery.

STUDY DESIGN

This study is a retrospective case series of patients who underwent surgery for symptomatic POP between 2007 and 2017, and subsequently had a live birth.

RESULTS

Twenty patients were identified. Seventeen patients underwent posterior colporrhaphy, 10 anterior colporrhaphy, and 5 apical suspensions. The mean interval between POP surgery and the first delivery was 28.6 months. One patient endorsed recurrent POP symptoms before pregnancy, and none of the remaining 19 patients reported recurrent POP symptoms before or during pregnancy. There were no pregnancy complications related to the POP surgery. Nine patients underwent cesarean delivery (CD). Four patients were counseled to have a CD due to their prior POP surgery, 3 patients had an elective primary CD due to the POP surgery, 1 patient chose an elective repeat CD, and 1 patient had a CD due to obstructed labor. Urogynecologists were consulted for delivery recommendations for 6 patients and recommended CD for 3 of them. Eleven patients had spontaneous vaginal delivery. Three patients reported recurrent POP symptoms after delivery.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings corroborate previous case series demonstrating the safety and durability of POP surgery during and after pregnancy. More than 75% of patients gave birth by CD, which was due to physician or patient concerns regarding the prior POP surgery.

Outcomes of Pregnancy and Recurrence of Pelvic Organ Prolapse After Laparoscopic Sacrocolpopexy With Uterine Preservation: A Retrospective Case-Series Study

INTRODUCTION

The objective is to study the pregnancy outcomes and the recurrence of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) following laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy (SCP) with uterine preservation in patients who are considering future fertility.

METHODS

This is a retrospective study in single teaching hospital. The study included six young women who conceived spontaneously, after laparoscopic SCP. Data were retrieved from the medical records of patients who underwent laparoscopic SCP and became pregnant after surgery.

RESULTS

 A total of six women conceived spontaneously. Two of them got pregnant twice. The total number of pregnancies was considered to be eight. Two pregnancies ended in spontaneous miscarriages; one of them required dilatation and curettage. Five pregnancies were carried out to term, and one pregnancy ended by preterm delivery at 32 weeks. All the neonates were at appropriate weight as per their respective gestational ages except the one preterm delivery, which was small for gestational age. No intraoperative difficulties were reported during all cesarean sections. Follow-up was documented by objective assessment for more than four years post laparoscopic SCP. No recurrent apical prolapse was found. Only one patient had a recurrent, symptomatic, grade two cystocele that required reoperation.

CONCLUSION

 Patients who desired fertility and presented with symptomatic high-grade POP were good candidates for laparoscopic SCP. Our findings demonstrate the visibility of laparoscopic SCP as an effective surgical intervention that not only levitates symptomatic POP but preserves fertility in young women.

Pelvic organ prolapse recurrence after pregnancy following uterine-sparing prolapse repair: a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

We sought to determine rates of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) recurrence following pregnancy and delivery in reproductive-age women with prior hysteropexy.

METHODS

Scopus, MEDLine, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched from inception to May 2020 for combinations of any of the keywords: "pregnancy", "delivery", "fertility", or "cesarean" with a comprehensive list of uterine-sparing surgical procedures for POP repair. Using approach, 1,817 articles were identified describing surgical, uterine-sparing POP repair techniques and subsequent pregnancy and delivery outcomes in reproductive-age women.   RESULTS: Twenty-seven studies describing 218 pregnancies, including 215 deliveries and 3 abortions, were summarized using narrative review and descriptive statistics. Successful pregnancies were reported following a diverse range of uterine-sparing prolapse repairs, both native tissue and mesh-augmented, that utilized vaginal, open abdominal, and laparoscopic approaches. We observed shifts from native tissue repairs to mesh-augmented laparoscopic repairs over time. POP recurrence occurred in 12% of subjects overall, 15% after vaginal and 10% after abdominal prolapse repairs. While meta-analysis identified higher recurrence rates after vaginal delivery (15%) than cesarean section (10%), due to small study numbers, multiple confounders, and heterogeneity between studies, no significant differences in recurrence rates could be identified between vaginal and abdominal surgical approaches, utilization of mesh augmentation, or mode of delivery.

CONCLUSION

Although literature on pregnancy following uterine-sparing POP repair is limited, available data suggest that prolapse recurrence after pregnancy and delivery remains similar to that after prolapse repair without subsequent pregnancies with few documented perinatal complications.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO, CRD42021247722.

Recognition and Management of Pelvic Floor Disorders in Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period

Often considered a condition of aging women, pelvic floor disorders may initially present in pregnancy and postpartum, having a negative impact on quality of life during this important time in a woman's life. This review outlines the clinical approach to implementing pelvic health into obstetric care through education and promotion of pelvic health in pregnancy, screening for pelvic floor disorders routinely, and providing support through resources, treatment, and referrals if pelvic floor disorders develop during pregnancy and postpartum.

Successful Pregnancy Outcome After Laparoscopic Sacrohysteropexy for Pelvic Organ Prolapse

The protrusion of pelvic organs and their associated vaginal segments into or through the vagina is called pelvic organ prolapse (POP). In recent times, a larger number of women of reproductive age group are presenting with complaints of POP, seeking treatment for POP along with the preservation of the uterus. These groups of patients may plan for pregnancy in the future. There is limited data on successful pregnancy, delivery and long-term outcome after sacrohysteropexy. We present here the management of a case of pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POP-Q) stage-III uterovaginal prolapse who underwent laparoscopic sacrohysteropexy and later on conceived and delivered by cesarean section. The uterus remained well-supported at follow up of one year after delivery.

Update in fertility-sparing native-tissue procedures for pelvic organ prolapse

Uterine-sparing prolapse surgery has been gaining back popularity with clinicians and patients. Although both prosthetic and native-tissue surgery procedures are described, the latter is progressively regaining a central role in pelvic reconstructive surgery, owing to a lack of mesh-related complications. Available native-tissue procedures have different advantages and pitfalls, as well as different evidence profiles. Most of them offer anatomical and subjective outcomes comparable with those of hysterectomy-based procedures. Moreover, native-tissue procedures in young women desiring childbearing allow to avoid synthetic material implantation, which may lead to potentially serious complications during pregnancy. As a consequence, we do think that offering a reconstructive native-tissue procedure for uterine preservation (with the exception of the Manchester procedure) is the safest option in women wishing for pregnancy. Sacrospinous ligament hysteropexy and high uterosacral ligament hysteropexy may be considered first-line options in consideration of the higher level of evidence and lack of adverse obstetrical outcomes.