A national survey of urinary incontinence in professional Team England female athletes

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of urinary incontinence in Team England female athletes participating in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the self-imposed lifestyle modifications used to manage symptoms in training and competition and the impact on performance.

Study design: This was a Cross-Sectional Survey. All Team England female athletes participating in 2018 Commonwealth Games were asked to complete a structured questionnaire regarding symptoms and management of urinary incontinence. Chi-squared statistical analysis was applied to relevant data.

Results: 103 athletes were included. 52 % reported experiencing urinary incontinence (38 % in training vs 27 % in competition X² = 2.68, p0.13). Highest rates of incontinence were seen in cycling and gymnastics, with lowest rates of incontinence in swimming and rugby. In sports requiring form fitting garments, 64 % did not feel they could wear a pad in training, compared with 19 % in sports with less form-fitting clothing. In competition, 75 % of athletes wearing form-fitting clothing did not feel they could wear a pad, compared with 24 % of those with less form-fitting attire (X² = 16.9, p < 0.001 in training; X² = 24.04, p = <0.001 in competition). 11 % of athletes reported reducing fluid intake to reduce urinary incontinence in training and 8 % reported doing this in competition. Only 3 % of athletes reported that their performance is affected by urinary incontinence.

Conclusion: Prevalence of urinary incontinence is higher in athletes than in the general population. Tight-fitting sportswear is a barrier to athletes using pads to manage urinary incontinence. Athletes may reduce fluid intake to reduce urinary leakage in training and competition, which may affect performance. However, few athletes report that urinary incontinence has an impact overall.

Keywords: Athlete; Female; Incontinence; Stress; Urinary.