Effectiveness of adding voluntary pelvic floor muscle contraction to a Pilates exercise program: an assessor-masked randomized controlled trial.

Introduction And Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of adding voluntary pelvic floor muscle contraction (PFMC) to a Pilates exercise program in sedentary nulliparous women.

Methods: Fifty-seven healthy nulliparous and physically inactive women were randomized to a Pilates exercise program (PEP) with or without PFMC. Forty-eight women concluded this study (24 participants for each group).

Is muscular strength balance influenced by menstrual cycle in female soccer players?

Background: Muscular strength imbalance is an important risk factor for ACL injury, but it is not clear the impact of menstrual cycle on muscular strength balance. Our aims were to compare muscular balance (hamstring-to-quadriceps peak torque strength balance ratio) between luteal and follicular phases and compare gender differences relative to strength balance to observe possible fluctuations in strength balance ratio.

Methods: Thirty-eight soccer athletes (26 women and 12 men) took part in this study.

Multicenter, randomized trial comparing native vaginal tissue repair and synthetic mesh repair for genital prolapse surgical treatment.

Introduction And Hypothesis: This trial aimed to compare the outcomes of native vaginal tissue repair versus polypropylene mesh repair for the treatment of severe genital prolapse.

Methods: This multicenter randomized trial included 184 women, with POP-Q stage 3 or 4. They were randomly assigned to undergo surgical treatment using native tissue repair (n = 90) or synthetic mesh repair (n = 94).

Assessing the impact of twin pregnancies on the pelvic floor using 3-dimensional sonography: a pilot study.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the morphologic characteristics of the pelvic floor musculature between women with twin and singleton pregnancies.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional case-control study of 40 nulliparous women aged 20 to 38 years to compare women with singleton pregnancies (n = 23) to women with twin pregnancies (n = 17). Biometric measurements of the levator hiatus and the sagittal and coronal diameters were made by transperineal 3-dimensional sonography between the 28th and 38th gestational weeks.

Evaluation of demographic, clinical characteristics, and genetic polymorphism as risk factors for pelvic organ prolapse in Brazilian women.

Objective: Verify the association between genital prolapse, other risk factors and a polymorphism in exon 31 of the collagen III-a1 gene (COL3A1).

Setting: The etiology of genital prolapse is multifactorial, and genetic defects have been proposed. Also, there is evidence that changes in collagen may be responsible for defects in pelvic floor support.