Worryingly, nearly one-quarter of women (and more than one-third of older women) report at least one pelvic floor disorder causing urinary or fecal incontinence, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Previously, no single national population-based survey had assessed the prevalence of major pelvic floor disorders in U.S. women. Ingrid Nygaard, M.D., M.S., of the University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, and colleagues conducted a study to provide prevalence estimates of symptomatic pelvic floor disorders in women. The study included 1,961 nonpregnant women (age 20 years or older) who participated in the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a nationally representative survey of the U.S. population.
In this new study, women were interviewed in their homes and then underwent standardized physical examinations in a mobile examination center where urinary and fecal incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse symptoms were assessed.
The researchers, led by Ingrid Nygaard of the University of Utah School of Medicine, found that overall, 24 percent of women reported symptoms of at least 1 pelvic floor disorder. Of these, 16 percent experienced urinary incontinence, 9 percent experienced fecal incontinence and 3 percent experienced symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse. The proportion of women who reported at least 1 pelvic floor disorder increased to 37 percent in women aged 60 to 79 years.
"These data represent the first nationwide, population-based estimates of the 3 primary pelvic floor disorders in women in the United States derived from a single source," Nygaard said. "By 2030, more than one-fifth of women will be 65 years or older. Given the burden pelvic floor disorders place on U.S. women and the health care system, research is needed to further understand their prevention and treatment."
Related:
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Study Finds Kegel Exercises Effective For Stopping Incontinence
Hormone Therapy Worsens Urinary Incontinence
Source: Journal of the American Medical Association
