Caesarean section deliveries do not help to protect against urinary incontinence, according to new research by British scientists. The ProLong Study group carried out a 12-year investigation into the links between caesarean section delivery and subsequent risk of urinary incontinence in women.

Participants were recruited from maternity units in Aberdeen, Birmingham and Dunedin and were asked to complete questionnaires at three months and 12 years after giving birth.A total of 3,763 women completed the study and the researchers found that women who had a combination of caesarean and vaginal births were no less likely to have urinary incontinence than those who never had a caesarean.

Women who delivered exclusively by caesarean section were slightly less likely to have urinary incontinence than those who only had vaginal births, but the risk of incontinence was still significant. Publishing their findings in obstetrics journal BJOG, the study authors concluded: "Even among those who do deliver exclusively by caesarean section, 40 per cent still report urinary incontinence, and this strategy confers no benefit for subsequent faecal incontinence."

Other causes of incontinence include a lack of oestrogen, urinary tract infections, and neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease.