Dyspareunia, Urinary Sensory Symptoms, and Incontinence Among Young Chinese Women

Abstract

This study examined the prevalence of dyspareunia, urinary sensory symptoms, and urinary incontinence and explored their associations among sexually active Chinese women aged 15-34 years. Data from 3,150 women were analyzed from a survey undertaken during 2003 in 30 counties in China as part of the United Nations Population Fund Country Program. The overall prevalence of dyspareunia was 4.7%. Urinary pain, burning or frequency was reported by 8.5%, 6.2% reported urinary incontinence, and 2.3% reported both sets of urinary symptoms. The prevalence of urinary incontinence, both alone and in combination with sensory symptoms, increased in a linear manner with age. Dyspareunia was associated with early sexual debut, primary level of education, and membership of minority ethnic communities. Urinary sensory symptoms and incontinence were more common among those reporting early sexual debut, those with less schooling, and women engaged in agricultural R. W. Stones · S. S. Padmadas · J. J. Brown and manual unskilled occupations. Urinary incontinence was more common among women who had had a previous vaginal delivery compared to nulliparous women. Dyspareunia was strongly associated with the presence of urinary symptoms, particularly among those with both sensory symptoms and incontinence (26.8%). Nearly a quarter of women who had dyspareunia had sought treatment but fewer had done so for urinary incontinence. Dyspareunia and urinary symptoms show distinct but overlapping patterns of association with demographic variables. The findings indicate unmet need for assessment and advice about these symptoms in women's reproductive health programs.

Dyspareunia is associated with decreased frequency of intercourse in the menopausal transition

“…For instance, we do not know whether the women were experiencing dyspareunia prior to middle age that affected their sexual function. Pain with sex is a common complaint even among younger women,37, 38 and it is possible that the dyspareunia reported in this study was not a new pain associated with vaginal atrophy or any other menopausal factor but pain with intercourse that they had been having previously by a different route. This highlights the importance of taking prior sexual function into account when discussing sexual function of a woman in the climacteric.…”

Premenopausal Women with Sexual Dysfunction: The Need for a Bladder Function History

“…A possible relationship between UI and dyspareunia has also been noted in the literature [5]. A population-based cohort was selected by random sampling to evaluate the prevalence of dyspareu-nia, urinary sensory symptoms, and UI in 3,150 young Chinese women aged 15-34 years.…”

“…Similarly, general medical history forms may not inquire about bladder dysfunction in this younger population of patients, as many clinicians may associate overactive bladder (OAB) and urinary incontinence (UI) with older women. However, the literature supports the fact that OAB and UI are frequently reported in the premenopausal population and the few studies that have been performed suggest that bladder dysfunction greatly impacts on the sexual health of these young women [3–5]. Because sexual function is a complex process coordinated by the neurological, vascular, and endocrine systems, as well as the incorporation of familial, societal, and religious beliefs, when sexual dysfunction occurs, the etiology may be challenging to identify [6].…”

Prevalence of female urinary incontinence in the developing world: A systematic review and meta‐analysis—A Report from the Developing World Committee of the International Continence Society and Iranian Research Center for Evidence Based Medicine

“…Of these, 151 articles were excluded because they did not meet the inclusion criteria, for example prevalence studies in pregnant women. Finally, a total of 54 studies were included in the systematic review 2,6,8,9,23,26‐71 . All studies underwent methodological quality assessment.…”