Post-partum urinary incontinence is less common in women who have a caesarean delivery but it is still a persistent problem for one in seven women  a recent study  has shown.

A prospective study of more than 1500 nulliparous women found that persistent urinary incontinence was experienced  by 25% of all women up to 18 months after giving birth.

Rates of urinary incontinence among women who had a caesarean were about 40% those of women who had a spontaneous vaginal birth, but persistent incontinence was still seen in 16% of women after a caesarean, according to the findings published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology this month.