Duke University, a clinical site for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pelvic Floor Disorders Network (PFDN), is currently enrolling patients in a clinical trial to compare three first-line treatments for postpartum urinary incontinence — the TULIP study (Training for Urinary Leakage Improvement after Pregnancy). Principal investigator is Nazema Siddiqui, MD, MHSc.
- The purpose of this research study is to determine the effectiveness of education about lifestyle changes (e.g., being thoughtful about what patients eat and drink, exercising, weight loss) and pelvic muscle strengthening in the treatment of bothersome bladder leakage after delivery of a patient’s first baby.
- This education will be with or without additional training in pelvic muscle strengthening, either using in-person exercise coaching (i.e., two sessions with a skilled teacher at baseline and three months after delivery) or an at-home motion-based device (i.e., a vaginal insert device that communicates wirelessly to an app on your smartphone telling you when correct exercises are being performed).
After the baseline/initial visit, participants return to clinic at six and 12 months after delivery for a pelvic exam to re-check pelvic muscle strength and to answer questionnaires about changes in leakage symptoms.
- Each visit will take about one hour. The group that meets with the in-person exercise coach has one additional session three months after delivery that should also take about an hour.
- Total study duration is until 12 months after delivery.
The PFDN is funded by the National Institutes of Health’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and consists of a data coordinating center at RTI International and six leading clinical research sites, including Duke University.
For additional details, contact Stephanie.Yu@duke.edu