24-Hour Pad Tests in Thai Continent Women
Kewalin Kobwitaya MD*,
Suvit Bunyavejchevin MD, MHS*
Affiliation :
* Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
Background : Twenty-four hours pad test is a simple tool to establish the differential diagnosis between high amount of
vaginal secretion and urinary incontinence, evaluate the severity, and assess the result after treatment in women with urinary
incontinence problem. The normal value of 24-hour pad test has been studied in non-Thai population. However, this may
be different based on race. Therefore, this value in Thai population is important.
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
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