Cardiovascular responses to pelvic floor muscle contraction in healthy women: Prospective study.

Objective: Analyze the acute heart rate and blood pressure responses to two protocols of pelvic floor muscles contractions in premenopausal and postmenopausal women.

Methods: Fifty-four women without pelvic floor muscles disorders were eligible and allocated into two groups: premenopausal and postmenopausal. The groups underwent two protocols and the pelvic floor muscle endurance, heart rate, and blood pressure values were monitored. Both protocols included 10 pelvic floor muscles contractions; one series contained contractions lasting 5 s with 5 s of rest between each contraction and the other series contained contractions lasting 10 s with 10 s of rest.

Results: In both groups, there was a significant increase in the heart rate during pelvic floor muscles contractions (premenopausal: 71.0 ± 7.3 and 80.3 ± 7.7; postmenopausal: 65.4 ± 6.6 and 73.6 ± 6.6, at rest and contractions peak, respectively) and in systolic blood pressure immediately after the contractions. The observed values during exercise returned to basal values seconds after the contractions. A positive correlation between heart rate and vaginal squeeze pressure (r = 0.45, p = 0.0007 and r = 0.48, p = 0.0003, 5- and 10-s series, respectively) was observed.

Conclusion: The proposed protocol of isometric pelvic floor muscles contractions caused an increase in heart rate and blood pressure within the normal range and might not represent a cardiovascular risk for healthy postmenopausal women without urinary incontinence and without cardiovascular dysfunctions.