Assessment of the prevalence of pelvic floor disorders in both vaginal and cesarean deliveries and their impact on the quality of life

Abstract

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI) are two common health-related conditions affecting women worldwide. POP may occur in 50% of parous women. Pelvic organ prolapse and SUI share many risk factors and both conditions are believed to result from pelvic floor damage. It is commonly assumed that pelvic floor dysfunction is partly attributable to injury associated with vaginal delivery. Urinary incontinence is a non-life threatening condition but remains an important cause of morbidity in women. It is estimated that UI disrupts the lives of about 20% of middle aged women but it affects different women differently. The objectives of our study were to estimate differences in prevalence of pelvic floor disorders (POP & UI) in Egyptian women by mode of delivery and their impact on patients’ quality of life using assessment questionnaire. Our study found that Compared to CS (32.8%), VD associated with statistically significant increase in the occurrence (43.5%) and the severity (Moderate/severe UI was 39.6% in VD vs. 10.5% in CS) of UI especially SUI (VD vs. CS was 62.4% vs. 51.3%). Vaginal delivery associated with more than double the occurrence of POP (19.4% vs. 8.2% in CS), and more than triple the concomitant occurrence of both of them (9.9% vs. 2.6% in CS). Vaginal delivery also associated with more occurrence of symptomatic (42.2% vs. 15.8% in CS), stage II-III/stage IV cases (48.9% vs. 15.8% in CS ' more than tripled') and cases of multiple compartment POP (48.9% vs. 21.1% in CS). Our study also found a number of other - dependent - risk factors for PFDs within each of the groups as aging, age at last delivery, parity and BMI.