E-Posters-Differences in Mechanical Tissue Properties of the Pelvic Floor Muscles Among Young, Middle Aged and Older Women Assessed In-vivo Using Intravaginal Dynamometry

Differences in Mechanical Tissue Properties of the Pelvic Floor Muscles Among Young, Middle Aged and Older Women Assessed In-vivo Using Intravaginal Dynamometry - Marie-Eve Berube, M.Sc PT

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This study aimed to determine if there are differences in the active and passive tissue properties of the pelvic floor muscles (PFMs) among young, middle-aged, and older nulliparous women. Nulliparous women from three age groups (20-39 years, 40-59 years, >60 years) participated in the study. They underwent various tasks, including maximal voluntary contractions and resistance to passive stretch, while their data were recorded using intravaginal dynamometry.<br /><br />The results showed that there were no significant differences between age groups in most outcomes, except for relative peak force measured during maximal voluntary contractions at 25mm diameter. Older women generated less force than middle-aged women in this case. However, there were medium to large effect sizes observed in nearly 80% of the outcomes between groups, indicating that significant differences may emerge with continued recruitment.<br /><br />It is important to note that these preliminary results should be interpreted with caution because the sample size of women over 60 was limited to only five participants, and none of them were older than 66 years. Additionally, the large effect sizes observed for rate of force development and stress relaxation responses may be indicative of sarcopenia.<br /><br />In conclusion, this study found no significant effect of age on most active and passive forces generated by the PFMs in nulliparous women. However, the observed effect sizes suggest that significant differences may emerge with a larger sample size. Further research with a larger and more diverse participant pool is needed to better understand the differences in the mechanical tissue properties of the pelvic floor muscles among women of different age groups.

Keywords

pelvic floor muscles

active tissue properties

passive tissue properties

nulliparous women

age groups

maximal voluntary contractions

resistance to passive stretch

intravaginal dynamometry

peak force

effect sizes