Kegel and Abdominal Exercises on Urinary Incontinence Severity, Quality of Life, and Sleep Quality in Menopausal Women
Condition: Urinary Incontinence; Postmenopausal Symptoms; Sleep Quality
MeSH terms: Urinary Incontinence; Enuresis
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The aim of this randomized, controlled experimental study is to investigate the effectiveness
      of Kegel exercises and abdominal exercises on urinary incontinence severity, quality of life,
      and sleep quality in menopausal women with stress urinary incontinence. Research Hypothesis
      are:

      H1: Combining Kegel exercises and abdominal exercises affects urinary incontinence severity
      in menopausal women with stress urinary incontinence.

      H2: Combining kegel exercises and abdominal exercises affects quality of life in menopausal
      women with stress urinary incontinence.

      H3: Combining kegel exercises and abdominal exercises affects sleep quality in menopausal
      women with stress urinary incontinence.

      Researchers will compare two groups: Kegel and abdominal exercise training is applied to the
      experimental group. Only kegel exercise training is applied to the control group.

      The study will be conducted in a prospective, randomized, parallel group controlled design.
      Hypotheses will be evaluated by applying pre-test and post-tests to the groups of exercises
      applied for three months during the research process.
    

Detailed description: 
      Urinary incontinence is defined by the International Continence Society as involuntary
      urinary leakage that causes social and hygienic problems and can be objectively demonstrated.
      Urinary incontinence is an important health problem that is more common in women than men. As
      a matter of fact, urinary incontinence has also been recognized as a common public health
      problem affecting women's physical, psychological, social, and economic well-being. This
      problem may worsen, especially during menopause, as estrogen levels decrease and pelvic floor
      muscles and ligaments atrophy.

      Women spend a long period of their lives in menopause. Therefore, the urinary incontinence
      they experience during this period affects their lives in many dimensions (insecurity,
      deterioration in sexual life, insomnia, etc.). As a matter of fact, one of the important
      conservative treatments for urinary incontinence is Kegel exercises. The fact that it has no
      risks or costs and that women can do it wherever and whenever they want makes this exercise
      advantageous. It has been reported that abdominal muscle exercises (bridge building and
      abdominal curling exercises, etc.), along with Kegel exercises, significantly affect the
      pelvic floor muscles. However, the studies are mostly on the samples of pregnant, postpartum,
      and reproductive-age women, and studies on women in the menopausal period are needed. This
      study will increase awareness of the importance and effect of regular kegel and abdominal
      exercises in menopausal women with urinary incontinence.

      Deterioration in sleep quality and chronic insomnia are also quite common (11.8% - 56.6%)
      problems in menopause. One of the factors that cause sleep problems is urinary incontinence,
      which causes frequent trips to the toilet and interrupts night sleep. Researchers predicted
      that reducing the frequency of urinary incontinence experienced by women would positively
      affect their sleep quality.

      Data Collection: The data will be collected by the researcher by face-to-face interview
      method in a total of 12 weeks, three face-to-face interviews, each interview is experimental
      group 30 minutes - the control group 20 minutes. Kegel and abdominal exercise training is
      applied to the experimental group. Only kegel exercise training is applied to the control
      group.

      Statistical Methods to be Used: The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences program will
      be used to analyze the obtained data. The conformity of the data to the normal distribution
      will be examined by considering the Shapiro-Wilk test. Parametric methods will be used to
      analyze normally distributed variables, and non-parametric methods will be used to analyze
      non-normally distributed variables. Independent-sample T-test, Mann-Whitney U (Exact) test,
      and T-test for Dependent Groups, Wilcoxon test will be used to compare two independent
      groups. Pearson correlation Spearman's tests will be used to examine the correlations of the
      variables with each other. Comparison of categorical data will be tested with Pearson
      Chi-square and FisherExact tests.
    

Intervention name(s): Experimental Group: Kegel exercises and abdominal exercises; Control Group: Kegel exercises
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): The training was planned to occur 3 times in a 12-week period (first meeting+6thweek+12th week). Each training: approx. 30 min.
First session:Meeting the woman Consent and data collection forms (Descriptive characteristics of women, Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-Short Form,International Urinary Incontinence Consultation Questionnaire-Short Form,Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Scale) Information about stress urinary incontinence is given The woman is given kegel exercise and abdominal exercise training face to face by the researchers.
Kegel and abdominal exercise application chart is explained and given as homework.
Relevant brochure is provided. Second Session:Greeting-Kegel and abdominal exercise application chart is being checked Kegel and abdominal exercises are performed again under the supervision of the researcher.
Third session:Greeting-Kegel and abdominal exercise application chart is being checked Data collection tools are being refilled.; The training was planned to occur 3 times in a 12-week period (first meeting+6th week+12th week). Each training: approx. 20 min.
First session: Meeting the woman Consent and data collection forms (Descriptive characteristics of women, Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-Short Form, International Urinary Incontinence Consultation Questionnaire-Short Form, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Scale).
Information about stress urinary incontinence is given The woman is given kegel exercise training face to face by the researchers. Kegel exercise application chart is explained and given as homework. Relevant brochure is provided. Second Session:Greeting-Kegel exercise application chart is being checked Kegel exercises are performed again under the supervision of the researcher. Third session:Greeting-Kegel exercise application chart is being checked Data collection tools are being refilled.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: Parallel Assignment Type of Study: This study is a randomized controlled trial. The pre-test-post-test has be carried out with a pattern.
Masking: Double (Participant, Investigator)
Primary purpose: Supportive Care
Keywords: Menopause; Female; Urinary incontinence; Kegel Exercise; Abdomen Exercise