June 2024 · Volume 13 · Issue 6 Page 1432 International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynecology Khan FH et al. Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol. 2024 Jun;13(6):1432-1436 www.ijrcog.org pISSN 2320-1770 | eISSN 2320-1789 Original Research Article A prospective knowledge, attitude and practice-based study of pelvic floor muscle training in fitness-oriented women Fayaz Khan H., Shweta Gupta*, Mukul Chandra, Fariza Siddiqui, Bhuvneshwari Upadhyay INTRODUCTION There is a large body of evidence that suggest health benefits are derived from daily physical activity. 1 The total amount of physical activity required depends on type, intensity, duration and frequency of the activity, and most importantly how effectively and conscientiously an individual performs a specific activity. 2 The pelvic floor is composed of several muscles and ligaments facilitating attachment to the bones of the pelvis. This combination creates a dome-shaped structure that provides support for several pelvic organs. The pelvic organs consist of bladder and urethra, the vagina and uterus. 3 As the age advances, Pelvic floor dysfunction and stress incontinence affect many women and the cost of dealing with these issues will also increase financially, mentally and emotionally burden to the society. Lifestyle modification, such as losing weight, and pelvic floor muscle exercise, meditation has been suggested to prevent and aid in the treatment of pelvic floor dysfunction. One of the physical activities that have been reported to increase the strength of pelvic floor muscles is pelvic floor muscle exercises. 4 Several reports indicated the positive impact of pelvic floor muscle exercises in the prevention of urinary and fecal incontinence. 5-7 The origins of PFM dysfunction are multifactorial, and are a consequence of human evolution, childbirth, lifestyle and aging. In this paper we will be discussing the KAP of pelvic floor muscle training and its consequences. The pelvic floor is made up of a group of muscles and connective tissue that extends as a sling across DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20241295 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, FHMC, Etmadpur, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India Received: 02 April 2024 Revised: 05 May 2024 Accepted: 06 May 2024 *Correspondence: Dr. Shweta Gupta, E-mail: drshwetaguptabah@gmail.com Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ABSTRACT Background: Although knowledge, attitude and need of pelvic floor muscle training are well established but there is lack of practice of PFMT even in fitness oriented educated women. Objective was to evaluate the knowledge, Attitude, Practice (KAP) of PFMT in fitness-oriented women. Methods: A Cross-sectional study was performed on 100 women of 18-45 years who are not pregnant and fitness oriented by providing a self-administrated KAP questionnaire then all answers were analysed. Results: A total of 100 women were included in the study and baseline characteristics were determined. Out of 100 participants 97% had the knowledge about the pelvic floor muscle while 95% knew about its exercise with 100% of them believed it to be a good practice. The results showed significant association with the knowledge of PFMT to the educational status. Despite In spite of high quality of knowledge, attitude and awareness regarding pelvic floor muscle and its training, unfortunately only 8% of educated females practiced pelvic floor muscle exercises in their daily routine. Conclusions: So, we conclude that pelvic floor muscle training should be inculcated in our society at the very root levels or even in school education like other exercises or meditation. Essential motivation, education and awareness should be spread through various possible means. Keyword: Pelvic floor muscle training, Knowledge, Attitude, Practice