Improvement of Gastrointestinal Symptoms After Diastasis Recti Repair: A Prospective Study.

[BACKGROUND] Diastasis recti abdominis (DRA) is a common postpartum condition associated with musculoskeletal impairments. While a link to gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction is suspected, it remains poorly studied. We hypothesized that surgical correction of DRA would improve associated GI symptoms by restoring abdominal wall integrity and function.

[METHODS] We conducted a prospective cohort study of 80 postpartum women undergoing surgical repair for DRA. GI symptoms-including bloating, abdominal pain, constipation, and diarrhea-were evaluated before surgery and at a minimum of 6 months post-op (mean follow-up 14 months) using a 5-point Likert scale. The primary outcome was patient-reported change in GI symptoms.

[RESULTS] At baseline, all patients reported GI disturbances, with bloating (95%) and constipation (50%) being most prevalent; 19% met Rome IV criteria for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Following surgical repair, 78 of 80 patients (97.5%) reported improvement in their GI symptoms, with 55 (68.8%) experiencing complete resolution. No patients reported worsening symptoms. The prevalence of frequent bloating dropped from 95 to 10%, constipation from 50 to 15%, and abdominal pain from 50% to 5%. All 15 patients who met IBS criteria preoperatively no longer did at follow-up.

[CONCLUSIONS] Surgical correction of diastasis recti leads to a significant and near-universal improvement in gastrointestinal symptoms for postpartum women. These findings suggest that DRA is a contributing factor to functional GI disorders in this population and that its repair confers important functional benefits beyond cosmetic and musculoskeletal improvements.

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