The personal impact of pelvic floor symptoms and their relationship to age

Introduction and hypothesis

The aim was to evaluate the relationship between age and the impact of pelvic floor disorders (PFD) using a multi-dimensional pelvic floor questionnaire

Methods

Questionnaire data on 4,311 women attending urogynaecology clinics with PFD were stratified by age into four groups: ≤35, 36–50, 51–65 and >65 years. The symptom frequency (ranging from 0 to 100) was divided in to mild (0–33), moderate (34–67), and severe (68–100) symptoms. Impact scores for equivalent levels of symptom frequency (mild, moderate and severe symptoms) were compared in women of different ages.

Results

Overall, bowel continence was associated with the greatest bother and constipation the least. Older women were significantly less bothered by mild to moderate urinary, bowel and vaginal symptoms (except IBS and vaginal capacity) than younger women. There was no difference in the impact of severe symptoms in different ages. In contrast, for sexual symptoms, there was a significant difference in the impact in older women for all grades of severity.

Conclusions

Women’s views and attitudes towards symptoms are variable and age is a significant factor. In women attending urogynaecology clinics with pelvic floor symptoms the impact of most symptoms (particularly sexual dysfunction) become less bothersome with age.