Prevalence of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction among Married Women of Udupi Taluk, Karnataka, India

Bhamini Krishna Rao

doi:10.4172/2167-0420.1000236

Abstract

Background: Pelvic floor dysfunction predominantly affects women of all the ages with an increasing prevalence with advancing age. Very few studies on prevalence of urinary incontinence have been conducted in India and none in Udupi taluk. Aim: The aim of this cross-sectional study is to estimate the prevalence of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction among married women of Udupi taluk, Karnataka, India and to evaluate the impact of age, educational qualification, occupation, parity and mode of delivery on pelvic floor dysfunction. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1256 married women using a structured questionnaire. Women were interviewed at their residence using the questionnaire. Institutional ethical committee approval and written informed consent was obtained before the interview. Result: Prevalence of pelvic floor dysfunction was reported to be 21% with 19.02% of the women experiencing urinary incontinence and 1.99% experiencing pelvic organ prolapse. The mean age of the women participated in this study was 45.4 ± 11.8 (ranging between 18-70 years). Eighty seven percent of the women were housewives and 69% of the women had only primary education. Statistically significant association was found between age (p ≤ 0.001), occupation of the women (p ≤ 0.001), presence of urinary incontinence during pregnancy which disappeared after delivery (p=0.009) and occurrence of at least one type of pelvic floor dysfunction. Age, occupation and presence of symptom of urinary incontinence during pregnancy which disappeared after the delivery were reported as the independent predictor of symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction when analyzed with multivariate logistic regression model. Conclusion: Prevalence of pelvic floor dysfunction among women of Udupi Taluk, Karnataka, India was found to be 21% with age, occupation and presence of symptom of urinary incontinence during pregnancy which disappeared after the delivery as the independent predictor of symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction.

Highlights

Pelvic Floor Dysfunction (PFD) is one of the largest unaddressed issues in women’s health care today [1]
Prevalence of pelvic floor dysfunction among women of Udupi Taluk, Karnataka, India was found to be 21% with age, occupation and presence of symptom of urinary incontinence during pregnancy which disappeared after the delivery as the independent predictor of symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction
This cross-sectional study was conducted in 6 Rural Maternity and Child Welfare (RMCW) centers which are under the direct administration of Department of Community Medicine located at a distance of 5-25 Kms from Manipal University

Summary

Introduction

Pelvic Floor Dysfunction (PFD) is one of the largest unaddressed issues in women’s health care today [1]. It is common and undermines the quality of life (QOL) of at least one-third of adult women of all ages [2]. In spite of changing attitudes, many women across various ethnic groups throughout the world endure and are reluctant to report symptoms either because of fear or embarrassment while some believe it to be untreatable and are unaware of the available options. The women consider PFD as a normal part of the aging process and not as a disease/disorder and this is one of the reasons for not seeking medical treatment. Very few studies on prevalence of urinary incontinence have been conducted in India and none in Udupi taluk

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Methods

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Discussion

Conclusion