Does obesity change the perception of pelvic organ prolapse?

Abstract

Introduction and hypothesis: There is a complex relationship between obesity and pelvic organ prolapse.The objective of our study was to evaluate whether body mass index (BMI) changes the relationship between signs and symptoms of prolapse.Methods This was a retrospective observational study based on datasets of women seen in a tertiary urogynecological centre with symptoms of pelvic oor and lower urinary tract dysfunction between April 2012 and October 2015. Patients underwent a strucrured interview, clinical examination (based on the POP-Q) and 4D transperineal ultrasound (TPUS). O ine assessment of sonographic organ descent was undertaken later, blinded to all patient data.Results: Weight and BMI affect the relationship between symptoms and signs of prolapse. This effect is statistically highly signi cant. The more obese a patient is, the less likely she is to notice a given degree of objective prolapse, regardless of whether it is diagnosed clinically or on imaging.Conclusions In this retrospective study, we found a highly signi cant effect of weight and BMI on prolapse perception in the sense that obesity seems to mask prolapse while a low BMI increases the likelihood of a given degree of prolapse being noticed by the patient. Key MessageWeight and BMI affect the relationship between symptoms and signs of prolapse. The more obese a patient is, the less likely she is to notice a given degree of objective prolapse.Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) statistics were used to assess the association between

Protocol for a prospective longitudinal cohort study on the effects of non-surgical weight loss on pelvic floor dysfunction

“…1 It is wellestablished that obesity is associated with various chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. 2 However, recent research has also highlighted the link between obesity and pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD), [3][4][5] which include conditions like urinary incontinence (UI), pelvic organ prolapse (POP), faecal incontinence (FI), female sexual dysfunction (FSD) and chronic pelvic pain. 6 PFD is a series of diseases caused by injuries to the pelvic supporting tissues such as ligaments, muscles and fascia.…”