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Objective: Identify the normal value of 24-hour pad test in Thai continent women by accurately comparing pad’s weight before and after use. The secondary objective was to identify the factor associating the amount of vulvo-vaginal secretion.
Material and Method: Continent women were screened to exclude urinary incontinence by urogenital distress inventory (UDI-6) questionnaire. Participants were requested to use pad test for 24 hours. During study period, participants were advised to do their routine as usual but avoid exercise and sexual intercourse. Participants were able to change the pads as needed and asked to put the used pad in airtight plastic bag, kept them in a sealed envelope, and sent them to the researcher at their earliest convenience. Once received, the pads were kept in airtight plastic bag and were weighed. Weights were recorded.
Results: Two hundred twenty continent women were eligible to participate in the present study to determine the normal value of 24-hour pad test as our reference value. The median of 24-hour pad test was found to be 1.8 g of which the 95 percentiles was 4.7 g. The high amount of vaginal secretion were affected by premenopausal status, hormonal contraceptive used, and duration after menopause less than 5 years, which these factors were associated with estrogen.
Conclusion: The authors developed a normal value of the 24-hour pad test that could be used as reference or initial information for further evaluation and diagnosis of urinary incontinence in Thai women.
Keywords: 24-hour pad test, continence, Female urinary incontinence