Postpartum incontinence can take a few weeks or even months to go away after pregnancy.
However, the new study showed 61% of women still experienced urinary incontinence, 22% experienced faecal incontinence and 17% experienced pelvic organ prolapse symptoms, up to 26 years after having a baby.
The ProLong Study, led by Glasgow Caledonian University and involving University of Otago researchers Emeritus Profs Don Wilson and Peter Herbison, initially involved 8000 women who gave birth at maternity units in Aberdeen, Birmingham or Dunedin in 1993 and 1994.
The women were sent follow-up questionnaires 20-26 years later and 2270 responded.
Rates of incontinence varied depending on the type of childbirth, but being overweight was shown to put women at risk of pelvic problems in the long term.
In a press release, study leader and Glasgow Caledonian University School of Health and Life Sciences researcher Prof Suzanne Hagen said women who had a Caesarean section had the lowest risk of urinary incontinence, faecal incontinence and prolapse symptoms.
However, their rates were still high — 53%, 16% and 9%, respectively.
Women who had a forceps delivery were more likely to report faecal incontinence compared with the women who had normal unassisted deliveries (26% versus 20%).
Being overweight was associated with a higher risk of all three regardless of how they gave birth because of the pressure that extra weight put on the pelvic floor.
"This was a unique study that really delved into the extent of the problem, and the findings were pretty stark for all women after childbirth.
"What came out loud and clear from this research was that pelvic floor problems ... are really common in the long term as well as the short term after giving birth, with over half the women involved in the study reporting symptoms.
"But I was particularly surprised by the high rate of faecal incontinence, which was reported by 22% of women, compared to 13% at the previous survey a decade before."
The findings sent a clear message that preventive measures were important, Prof Hagen said.
"Women discuss with their maternity practitioners their childbirth choices, but they can also modify their lifestyle to keep a healthy weight and practise pelvic floor muscle exercises to keep pelvic health problems at bay.
"Losing weight, if required, can reduce the risk of urinary and faecal incontinence and prolapse by reducing the downward pressure on the pelvic organs."
The research was funded by the Scottish government’s Chief Scientist Office, and grants from the University of Otago and the New Zealand Continence Association.
