Focus on postpartum pelvic floor rehabilitation and women’s health

  Pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation therapy includes pelvic floor muscle training (the most commonly used method is Kegel exercise), electrical stimulation, biofeedback and other behavioral therapies. Our hospital introduced PHENIX USB 4 instrument from Guangzhou Sugiyama Company to carry out pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation therapy. However, in clinical practice, we found that the lack of knowledge about the pelvic floor among postpartum women is the biggest obstacle for them to receive pelvic floor rehabilitation therapy.  Pregnancy and childbirth cause different degrees of damage to the pelvic floor muscles, which affects the quality of postpartum sexual life and causes symptoms such as postpartum urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse, and is an independent risk factor for pelvic floor dysfunctional disease (PFD) in women. About 1/3 of Chinese women suffer from urinary incontinence. It is internationally recognized that early pelvic floor muscle training is important for improving the quality of postpartum sexual life, preventing and treating postpartum urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. In Europe, especially in France, electrical stimulation and biofeedback techniques have been used for 27 years to treat urinary incontinence, uterine/bladder prolapse and reduced vaginal tightness, and a scientific, standardized and effective treatment system has been formed. Pelvic floor rehabilitation techniques have been introduced and carried out in China only in recent years, and have attracted extreme attention from domestic obstetricians and gynecologists, becoming another sub-discipline of obstetrics and gynecology after gynecologic oncology and endoscopy.  The results of the questionnaire survey on the knowledge of pelvic floor rehabilitation and health care during pregnancy showed that the knowledge of pelvic floor rehabilitation among pregnant women before health education was <40%, indicating that the knowledge of pelvic floor rehabilitation among pregnant women before health education was insufficient. Although pregnant women's knowledge of pelvic floor-related knowledge was low, their knowledge of pelvic floor-related knowledge was significantly improved after receiving health education on pelvic floor rehabilitation. The level of awareness of pelvic floor-related knowledge can be improved through health education.  Routine pelvic floor muscle training for women 42 days after delivery can greatly reduce the occurrence of pelvic floor dysfunctional diseases such as pelvic organ prolapse, vaginal laxity and urinary incontinence, awaken the nerves and muscles of the pelvic floor, and better restore the vagina to its prenatal size and sensitivity, thus improving the quality of life.