ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Med.
Sec. Obstetrics and Gynecology
Seeking care behaviors and risk factors among Women with postpartum urinary incontinence
Provisionally accepted
Thamir Al-khlaiwi*
Syed Shahid HabibSarah MuaddiShorouq AlotaibiAlbandary Bin HadbaMunira AlshagrawiDeema AlmuhaimelSarah Alshammari
Muhammad Iqbal*- King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Background: This study aimed to evaluate the attitudes and care-seeking practices of Saudi women, as well as to identify the risk factors associated with postpartum urinary incontinence (PPUI). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 813 postpartum Saudi Arabian women, selected using a convenience sampling method. Data were collected via an online questionnaire comprising sections on demographic information, the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire–Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI SF), the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire–Short Form (IIQ-7), and items assessing participants' attitudes and practices related to seeking care. Results: The prevalence of PPUI among Saudi women was 29.6% (n = 241), with 15.8% (n = 38) reporting symptoms occurring several times a day. Over 20% of participants perceived that PPUI significantly interfered with their daily lives. Furthermore, 56.5% (n = 459) believed that urinary incontinence (UI) is a normal consequence of childbirth, and approximately two-thirds (67.3%) considered it a temporary condition that resolves over time. Among those experiencing PPUI, 66.4% did not seek medical care, while 34.9% reported seeking advice from their parents. Symptom severity was significantly associated with care-seeking, as 56.1% of those who sought care reported severe or extremely severe UI (p = 0.003; odds ratio = 4.595). Conclusions: This study identified a high prevalence of Saudi women who did not seek care for PPUI, with a positive correlation between seeking care and symptom severity. Additionally, a lack of accurate knowledge about PPUI and its risk factors was observed even among highly educated women, indicating a gap in health education and awareness.
Keywords: postpartum urinary incontinence, Prevalence, Education, knowledge, Employment
Received: 06 Oct 2025; Accepted: 17 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Al-khlaiwi, Habib, Muaddi, Alotaibi, Bin Hadba, Alshagrawi, Almuhaimel, Alshammari and Iqbal. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Thamir Al-khlaiwi, talkhlaiwi@ksu.edu.sa
Muhammad Iqbal, imuhammad@ksu.edu.sa
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