Objective To evaluate the prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) in female elite athletes compared with controls and to investigate potential risk factors for UI among elite athletes. Methods This cross-sectional study included 372 elite athletes (athletes group, AG) and 372 age-matched controls (control group, CG). The median age was low (19 years) and the vast majority were nulliparous. Potential risk factors, including clinical, demographic and sports practice characteristics, were collected by using a questionnaire. The International Consultation on Urinary Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence-Short Form was applied to estimate the prevalence of UI. OR with 95% CIs were used to estimate the association with UI. The final model was adjusted for constipation, family history of UI and history of urinary infection. Results The prevalence of UI was 29.6% and 13.4% in AG and CG, respectively (p<0.001). The following prevalences were obtained: AG: 19.6% and CG: 3.5% (p<0.001) for stress UI, AG: 3.8% and CG: 5.4% (p=0.292) for urgency UI and AG: 5.9% and CG: 0.8% (p<0.001) for mixed UI. After adjustment, performing high-level sport (adjusted (adj) OR=3.31; 95% CI 2.20 to 4.97), family history of UI (adj OR=1.54; 95% CI 1.04 to 2.29), history of urinary infection (adj OR=1.53; 95% CI 1.05 to 2.23) and constipation (adj OR=1.79; 95% CI 1.07 to 2.98) were associated with UI. Conclusion The prevalence of UI among Portuguese female elite athletes is high and the odds of UI were three times higher than in controls. Also, constipation, family history of UI and history of urinary infections were significantly associated with UI.

Objective: to verify the effectiveness of the pelvic floor muscles rehabilitation program (PFMRP) in female volleyball athletes, analyzing the amount and frequency of urinary leakage. Methods: experimental study. The sample consisted of 32 female athletes from Famalicão Athletic Volleyball Club (Portugal). The athletes were selected by convenience and distributed randomly into two groups: experimental group (EG = 16 athletes) and the control group (CG = 16 athletes). The EG underwent PFMRP for three months. The PFMRP was the awareness and identification of the pelvic floor muscles (PFM), pre-timed PFM contraction prior to occasions of increased intra-abdominal pressure, and 30 daily contractions of MPP at home. The CG had only access to the pamphlet. The assessment instruments included the questionnaires, the Pad Test (amount of urinary leakage) and frequency record of urinary leakage (7-day diary) before and after PFMRP. Results: the amount of urine leakage decreased in 45.5% of athletes under PFMRP intervention, and in 4.9% of athletes in CG, with statistical differences between the groups (p < 0.001). The reduction in the frequency of urinary leakage was 14.3% in EG, and 0.05% in CG, a statistically significant difference between the groups (p < 0.001). Conclusion: PFMRP in this study was effective to reduce stress urinary incontinence in female volleyball athletes. The program allowed significant improvement of symptoms of quantity and frequency of urinary leakage.

In order to investigate the potential impact of physical activity (PA) on pelvic floor muscle (PFM) function, a cross-sectional study was made to analyse the association between PA level and vaginal resting pressure (VRP) and PFM strength and endurance. Thirty-eight continent women and 20 women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) aged 19 to 49 years were enrolled in the study. PFM variables were assessed by manometry. The PA level was assessed through the International Physical Activity Questionnaire – Short Form. The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence – Short Form was applied to identify SUI. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were applied to estimate the association between PA and PFM variables. Incontinent women were classified as having a high PA level compared to the continent ones (65.0% vs 34.2%, respectively; p=0.030). There was a positive weak association between PA and VRP in continent (r=0.377) and an inverse association in incontinent women (r=−0.458). No associations were found between PA and PFM strength and endurance. Further studies are needed in order to identify a causal association between PA and SUI.

Background: Dysmenorrhea affects many women of reproductive age. Physical exercise has been used as an effective intervention for pain reduction and to improve well-being. Physiotherapy, involving movement and exercise, can be effective in relieving menstrual pain and provide additional benefits. The aim is to identify therapeutic physical exercise program and exercise protocols used to reduce pain among these women. Methods: A scoping review was conducted in accordance with Joanna Briggs Institute’s methodology, using the PCC acronym. Articles were sourced from: PubMed, Cochrane Library, PEDro and ScienceDirect, covering studies published between 1 January 2013 and 30 April 2023, representing the period we considered most appropriate at the time the study was initiated. Qualitative studies, books, book chapters, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and review articles were excluded. Studies were analyzed according to the PRISMA-ScR framework. Results: 3325 studies were identified, but only 9 were included. Considerable variation was observed in the types and parameters of the exercise program across studies, including differences in duration, intensity, number of repetitions and series. Conclusions: The findings of this study highlight that aerobic training, particularly among women in their 20s, emerged as the most frequently utilized form of therapeutic physical exercise for alleviating menstrual pain in the studies reviewed. This suggests that aerobic exercise may hold significant promise as a non-pharmacological intervention for managing dysmenorrhea.