Abstract
Background: Worldwide, there are regional and demographic differences in the prevalence of pelvic floor complications (PFCs) during childbirth. Pelvic floor complications have been found to occur more frequently in some studies than others, despite some studies reporting a low incidence. This systematic review and meta-analysis sought to identify which types of PFCs were seen to occur most frequently in the studies chosen, as well as to provide an updated and thorough summary of the incidence and risk factors associated with various types of PFCs during childbirth. Methods: Search terms derived from free text words and medical topic headings (MeSH) were used to comb through a number of significant web databases. The first stage in the study selection strategy involved a search using keywords related to "pelvic floor," "childbirth," "complications," and "risk factors," which originally produced 759 papers. Results: 10 studies relevant to our objectives were ultimately selected for the investigation. In the majority of the studies, urinary incontinence (UIT) and anal incontinence (AIT) were found to be the most commonly occurring PFCs, with stress urinary incontinence (SUT), overactive bladder syndrome (OAB), pelvic organ prolapse (POP) being incidental in decreasing order. The meta-analysis also reported the effects of UIT to be of significant impact in the studies in which it occurred. Although one study did report the occurrence of certain depressive symptoms following childbirth, the inference obtained was not very significant. Conclusion: The findings highlight the need for further research on the prevention and management of pelvic floor complications during childbirth, particularly in relation to UIT and AIT. Clinicians should be aware of the high prevalence of these conditions and their associated risk factors (especially psychosocial and psychological health) to provide appropriate care for affected women.