Non-pathological lower urinary tract symptoms in late pregnancy in Teaching Hospital, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

Introduction: Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) can frequently be seen in pregnant women and adversely affect their quality of life (QoL). This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of LUTS in late pregnancy and compare them between nulliparous and multiparous women admitted to teaching hospital, in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.Methodology: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in a total of 455 pregnant women aged between 19 to 42 years admitted to the antenatal ward, professorial unit, teaching hospital Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. International Consultation for Incontinence Questionnaire (ICIQ)-FLUTS was used to assess the prevalence of LUTS among pregnant women.Results: The mean age and gestational age of the participants were 28.74 ± 5.44 years and 37.29 ± 1.61 weeks respectively. The most commonly reported LUTS was nocturia (33.4%) followed by hesitancy (25.7%), straining (24.2%), and frequency (23.5%) whereas less than 20% reported bladder pain, dysuria, intermittency, and urinary incontinence. All assessed LUTS except nocturia and frequency were significantly more prevalent within multiparous than nulliparous women.Conclusion: Though in the Sri Lankan context, we are not paying much attention to non-pathological LUTS, clinicians/obstetricians should pay special attention aiming to improve the QoL among pregnant women.