Comparison Between Pelvic Floor Muscle Training and Pilates Exercises for Postmenopausal Women With Urinary Incontinence
Objective: To compare the effects of 3 months of muscle training, through PFMT and Pilates exercises, on improving UI in postmenopausal women.
Methods: Twenty-four postmenopausal women with urinary incontinence will be randomized into two intervention groups: pelvic floor muscle training and mat Pilates exercises. Assessments will be conducted before and after three months of intervention and will include the following instruments: urinary incontinence and quality of life, assessed using the International Consultation of Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI-SF) questionnaire; a 7-day voiding diary to identify potential modifiable factors related to urination and its frequency; a Pad test to identify and quantify UI; the Female Sexual Function Index to assess female sexual function; and pelvic floor muscle strength and endurance by bidigital palpation using the PERFECT test. Shapiro-Wilk tests will be used to assess normality, Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney U test according to parametric or nonparametric distribution, and ANCOVA will be used to compare groups post-intervention, considering a 95% confidence interval (p\<0.05). Data will be processed using SPSS 25.0.
• Being naturally post-menopause (at least one year without menstruating);
• Demonstrate independence to carry out activities of daily living;
• Have a report of urinary loss when performing physical exertion.