Pelvic floor exercise: Awareness, knowledge, beliefs and practices among pregnant women in a Ghanaian setting

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy and childbirth increase the risk of pelvic floor muscle damage, leading to conditions such as urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, and pelvic organ prolapse. This makes it imperative to adopt strategies such as pelvic floor muscle exercises (PFMEs) to ensure positive antenatal and postnatal experiences for women. Hence, the study aimed to assess the awareness, knowledge, practices, and beliefs of PFMEs among pregnant women in a Ghanaian setting. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the awareness, knowledge, practices and beliefs of PFMEs among pregnant women in a Ghanaian setting. DESIGN: A cross-sectional descriptive research was conducted, recruiting 134 pregnant women through convenient sampling in selected antenatal clinics in Kumasi metropolis, Ashanti Region. METHODS: The study adopted the questionnaire regarding pelvic floor muscle training among pregnant women used by Teerayut Temtanakitpaisan, Suvit Bunyavejchevin, Pranom Buppasiri and Chompilas Chongsomcha. Data on the socio-demographic characteristics of the women, their awareness, knowledge, beliefs and practices about PFMEs were recorded. RESULTS: More than half (64.9%) of the respondents were not aware of PFMEs. Subsequent analysis for this work was therefore done for participants who reported being aware (35.1%). Also, the principal sources of information from which the subjects acquired the knowledge of PFME were health-care providers (42.6%) and media outside the hospital (36.2%). With reference to beliefs 80.3% believed that PFME could reduce vaginal trauma and 83.0% believe PFME aids vaginal birth. In terms of PFME practice, 36.2% of the aware women performed PFME regularly. CONCLUSION: To ensure pregnant women are well-informed about PFMEs, physiotherapists should work with antenatal care providers to develop comprehensive courses that include detailed information on PFME's.