Prevalence of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Pregnant Adolescents and the Influencing Factors.

STUDY

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and associated risk factors in pregnant adolescents.

DESIGN

Descriptive study.

SETTING

The obstetrics and gynecology outpatient departments of a training and research hospital in Turkey.

PARTICIPANTS

Two hundred six pregnant adolescents younger than the age of 19 years.

INTERVENTIONS: None. Questionnaire-based data and the Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms-Short Form (BFLUTS-SF) were collected from pregnant adolescents.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Comparisons were made with independent samples t test, one-way analysis of variance, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis tests, and linear regression for the analysis of the potential risk factors.

RESULTS

The prevalence of at least 1 of the LUTS in pregnant adolescents was 78.6% (162/206). The prevalence of storage symptoms was more than those of urinary incontinence and voiding symptoms. Among LUTS, the prevalence of nocturia, urgency, frequency, bladder pain, and urinary incontinence was 59.3% (122/206), 54.4% (112/206), 39.3% (81/206), 37.4% (77/206), and 27.2% (56/206), respectively. Of pregnant adolescents with LUTS, 30.2% (49/162) of pregnant adolescents with LUTS reported seeking treatment for LUTS in this study. The total median scores from the BFLUTS-SF increased with gestational week, but no statistical significant difference was identified (P > .05). According to the results of the linear regression analysis, daily coffee consumption, smoking, chronic coughing, constipation, and urinary tract infection history were found to be associated with the total mean score on the BFLUTS-SF in pregnant adolescents.

CONCLUSION

LUTS were found to be common among pregnant adolescents, with storage symptoms being the most frequently reported. Prenatal education could increase the number of adolescents who seek treatment, thereby improving the clinical course of LUTS.