QUESTIONNAIRES TO EVALUATE PELVIC FLOOR DYSFUNCTION IN THE POSTPARTUM PERIOD: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

INTRODUCTION: Pelvic floor dysfunctions (PFDs) affect the female population, and the postpartum period is related to the onset or aggravation of the disease. Early identification of the symptoms and the impact on women's quality of life can be achieved through assessment instruments. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this review is to identify questionnaires used to evaluate PFDs in the postpartum period. METHODS: Systematic review study, following PRISMA criteria (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses), using the databases PubMed, Biblioteca Virtual de Saúde (BVS), Web of Science, and Scopus, and the keywords pelvic floor dysfunction or pelvic floor disorders, postpartum or puerperium, and questionnaire. Articles published until March 2017 were included, and the search was limited to articles in the English, Portuguese, and Spanish languages published in peer-reviewed journals and using questionnaires for the evaluation of PFDs in postpartum women. There was no restriction on sample size or study design, provided that subjects were assessed using validated questionnaires. The articles were selected to compose this systematic review, identifying the questionnaires used in each of the articles, and the validation studies of the questionnaires were found in the references of each article. Besides the questionnaires for the evaluation of PFDs, the other evaluation techniques used in the data collection, as well as the postpartum period and the study population, were also described. RESULTS: Twenty-four articles were included in this review. In total, eight questionnaires were found to be used in research methods: the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire – Vaginal Symptoms (ICIQ-VS), Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory (PFDI-20), Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire (PFIQ-7), Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory (PFDI-46), Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire (PFIQ-31), Pelvic Floor Bother Questionnaire (PFBQ), Female Pelvic Floor Questionnaire (FPFQ), and eletronic Personal Assessment Questionnaire – Pelvic Floor (ePAQ-PF). CONCLUSION: The questionnaires PFDI-20, PFIQ-7, and ICIQ-VS showed to be the most used instruments in the scientific literature to assess PFDs in the postpartum period. KEYWORDS: Pelvic Floor Disorders; Puerperium; Questionnaire;