HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Burrows, L. J. Articles by Weber, A. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Burrows, L. J. Articles by Weber, A. M. Related Collections Urogynecology

Pelvic Symptoms in Women With Pelvic Organ Prolapse

From the 1Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Magee-Women's Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and 2Section of Urogynecology and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio.

Address reprint requests to: Lara A. Burrows, MD, Magee-Women's Hospital, 300 Halket Street, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Pittsburgh, PA 15213; e-mail: burrowslj{at}yahoo.com.

OBJECTIVE: To assess symptoms of bladder, bowel, and sexual function in women with pelvic organ prolapse and to compare symptoms by different degrees of prolapse.

METHODS: This retrospective study used data from 352 women with prolapse or urinary incontinence. The pelvic organ prolapse quantification measurements, as well as responses to 3 self-administered questionnaires assessing urinary, bowel, and sexual function were used. For each individual, pelvic organ prolapse quantification measures of prolapse were obtained in centimeters in relation to the hymen for 3 compartments: anterior vagina, vaginal apex or cervix, and posterior vagina. Data were analyzed by comparing the frequency of symptoms to centimeter measures of the most advanced prolapse (regardless of site) and the other compartments of prolapse.

RESULTS: Of the 330 patients available for analysis, 2.4% had stage I, 46.1% had stage II, 48.2% had stage III, and 3.3% had stage IV prolapse. The average age was 58.8 years (± 12.1), with a median parity of 3. Forty-eight percent were postmenopausal and taking estrogen, 27% were postmenopausal and not taking estrogen, and 25% were premenopausal. Patients who had stress incontinence symptoms had less advanced prolapse (median 5 cm less prolapse in the apical compartment) than patients without stress incontinence. Women who required manual assistance to urinate had more advanced prolapse (median 3.5 cm more prolapse in the most advanced compartment) than those who did not. Patients with urinary urgency and urge incontinence also had less advanced prolapse, although the differences were smaller than for stress incontinence (median 3 cm difference or less). There were no clinically significant differences in any compartment for symptoms related to sexual or bowel function.

CONCLUSION: Women with more advanced prolapse were less likely to have stress incontinence and more likely to manually reduce prolapse to void; however, prolapse severity was not associated with sexual or bowel symptoms.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II-2

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. S. Bradley, M. B. Zimmerman, Q. Wang, I. E. Nygaard, and for the Women's Health Initiative Vaginal Descent and Pelvic Floor Symptoms in Postmenopausal Women: A Longitudinal Study Obstet. Gynecol., May 1, 2008; 111(5): 1148 - 1153. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. S. Bradley, I. E. Nygaard, and for the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Vaginal Wall Descensus and Pelvic Floor Symptoms in Older Women Obstet. Gynecol., October 1, 2005; 106(4): 759 - 766. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. M. Weber and H. E. Richter Pelvic Organ Prolapse Obstet. Gynecol., September 1, 2005; 106(3): 615 - 634. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]