Pregnancy, Obstetric Trauma and Their Effects on the Pelvic Floor. Literature Review
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Abstract
Pelvic floor disorders are a medical condition that affects 30% of women of all ages, and include a plethora of anatomical and functional pathologies that, though they do not alter patient survival, do affect their well-being to a large extent. Urinary and fecal incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse and sexual dysfunction are among these pathologies. The importance of the subject rests on the fact that pelvic floor disorders are more frequent after pregnancy and birth as a result of inherent changes to pregnancy itself and obstetric injuries that are widely known risk factors, which may be associated to severe damage to the pelvic floor. Therefore, possible labor complications that may increase the risk of pelvic floor disorders must be prevented, along with the implementation of certain preventive strategies and safe interventions that reduce damage and possible long-term consequences. Here, we present a literature review about the physiological changes in the pelvic floor during pregnancy, the most frequent dysfunctional disorders, the role of forceps delivery in the appearance of different conditions, and preventive strategies that may be implemented to reduce the effects on the pelvic floor.
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