Prevalence and the degree of distress of pelvic floor disorders symptoms in women seeking primary health care at Ismailia governorate, Egypt

Abstract

Pelvic Floor Disorders (PFDs) are common debilitating conditions among women worldwide, which have had a negative effect on women’s quality of life and can be particularly bothersome. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of PFDs and the degree of bother of PFDs symptoms among women seeking primary health care. A cross sectional study was conducted in primary health care settings affiliated with Ministry Of Health and Population (MOHP) in Ismailia city, Egypt. The study was carried out from October 2019 to May 2020 on 500 women who were recruited by two-stage cluster random sampling. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on demographic, and reproductive characteristics. PFD was assessed based on symptoms reporting by women. A short-form version of the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory (PFDI-20) was used to assess the severity of pelvic floor symptoms. The prevalence of pelvic floor disorder was (41%), with over active bladder being the most prevalent type (32.8 %) followed by stress urinary incontinence (29.2%). Age, obesity, vaginal delivery 4 times or more, caesarean delivery, and history of abortion were positive predictors of PFD prevalence (p<0.001). More than one third (35.6%) of women who had urinary incontinence and (81.8 %) of women who had pelvic organ prolapsed reported their symptoms as severe. The study highlights the magnitude of pelvic floor disorder prevalence. This stresses for urgent action to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment services to decrease the suffering of women from pelvic floor disorders.