ABSTRACT
The purpose was to compare the function of the pelvic floor muscles in the second and third trimester of pregnancy of primigravidae. The study was carried out in two Family Health Units of the municipality of Aracaju, state of Sergipe, Brazil. Pregnant women have undergone three evaluations of the function of the pelvic floor muscles, through surface electromyography: until 16 weeks of pregnancy, between the 24th-28th and 34th-36th week of pregnancy. We recorded resting values, maximum voluntary contractions and sustained contractions. Data was tabulated in Excel and analyzed statistically in the Statistica program. A 5% significance level (p ≤ 0.05) was adopted. Nineteen primigravidae participated in this study, with an average age of 21.74 ± 3.65 years. There was an increase in body mass in the third trimester of pregnancy compared with the pre-pregnancy period, decrease in the average of the pelvic floor muscle signal during rest, along the three assessments and, in relation to the abdominal muscles, there was a decrease in the average signal at rest and during the sustained contraction in assessments 2 and 3 when compared with assessment 1. We concluded that other factors, besides those related to increased maternal body mass, may be associated with overload on PFMs during pregnancy in the first trimester. This overload can cause pregnant women to have muscle tone near the upper reference limit, thus changing the pattern of electromyographic activity, especially at rest, to maintain its support function of the continence and pelvic organs.
Keywords:
Pregnancy; Pelvic Floor; Electromyography/methods