title: Prevalence of bowel symptoms in women with pelvic floor disorders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of a variety of bowel symptoms in women with pelvic floor disorders
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed charts of consecutive new patients presenting to our urogynecologic clinic between July 2006 and April 2008. Women completed two bowel symptom questionnaires: (1) a nonvalidated questionnaire inquiring about symptoms of fecal/flatal incontinence, painful bowel movements, difficulties in bowel movement, and the need for splinting and (2) the validated, Colorectal-Anal Distress Inventory (CRADI) subscale of the short form of the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory. Demographic and clinical information were extracted from patients' charts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four hundred sixty-three women were included. Only 3% of the women presented with defecatory dysfunction or fecal incontinence as their chief complaint. However, 83% answered affirmatively to the presence of at least one CRADI bowel symptom. The most common bowel symptom was incomplete emptying at the end of a bowel movement (56%), followed by straining to have a bowel movement (55%), and flatal incontinence (54%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women rarely seek urogynecologic care primarily for bowel symptoms, although they have a high prevalence of bowel symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, Urogynecology Consultants, St. Louis, MO 63128, USA. fareesa4@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Fareesa
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Raza-Khan
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cunkelman
authors.forename: Lior
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lowenstein
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shott
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kenton
mesh_terms: D003248:Constipation / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003672:Defecation / Q000502:physiology; D005242:Fecal Incontinence / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D017773:Pelvic Floor / Q000503:physiopathology*; D056887:Pelvic Organ Prolapse / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014550:Urinary Incontinence, Stress / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology
references.citation: Obstet Gynecol. 1997 Mar;89(3):423-7
references.pmid: 9052598
references.citation: Gastroenterology. 2005 Jul;129(1):42-9
references.pmid: 16012933
references.citation: Obstet Gynecol. 2002 Oct;100(4):719-23
references.pmid: 12383540
references.citation: Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2006 May;194(5):1450-4
references.pmid: 16579932
references.citation: JAMA. 1995 Aug 16;274(7):559-61
references.pmid: 7629985
references.citation: Br J Surg. 1993 Mar;80(3):392-4
references.pmid: 8472162
references.citation: Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1999 Dec;181(6):1360-3; discussion 1363-4
references.pmid: 10601913
references.citation: Dis Colon Rectum. 2007 Dec;50(12):2096-103
references.pmid: 17899277
references.citation: Obstet Gynecol. 2009 Jan;113(1):81-88
references.pmid: 19104363
references.citation: Neurourol Urodyn. 2008;27(8):749-57
references.pmid: 18951445
references.citation: Dis Colon Rectum. 1998 Oct;41(10):1226-9
references.pmid: 9788384
references.citation: Gut. 2002 Apr;50(4):480-4
references.pmid: 11889066
references.citation: Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2007 Jul;197(1):76.e1-5
references.pmid: 17618766
references.citation: Dis Colon Rectum. 2008 Nov;51(11):1686-91
references.pmid: 18584250
references.citation: Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2008 May;198(5):596.e1-4
references.pmid: 18455543
references.citation: Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2005 Jul;193(1):103-13
references.pmid: 16021067
references.citation: Int J Colorectal Dis. 2008 May;23(5):493-7
references.pmid: 18228028
references.citation: Am J Gastroenterol. 1996 Jan;91(1):33-6
references.pmid: 8561140
references.citation: Lancet. 1984 Sep 8;2(8402):546-50
references.pmid: 6147604
references.citation: Obstet Gynecol. 2005 Oct;106(4):726-32
references.pmid: 16199628
references.citation: Neurourol Urodyn. 1999;18(3):199-204
references.pmid: 10338440
references.citation: Gastroenterology. 1985 Nov;89(5):977-81
references.pmid: 4043677
references.citation: Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2005 Dec;193(6):2071-6
references.pmid: 16325618
references.citation: Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2003 Jul;189(1):195-200
references.pmid: 12861162
references.citation: Obstet Gynecol. 2004 Oct;104(4):690-6
references.pmid: 15458887
references.citation: Obstet Gynecol. 2007 Feb;109(2 Pt 1):281-8
references.pmid: 17267825
references.citation: Obstet Gynecol. 2004 Dec;104(6):1397-402
references.pmid: 15572505
references.citation: Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2005 May;192(5):1655-62
references.pmid: 15902173
references.citation: Br J Surg. 1985 Sep;72 Suppl:S15-7
references.pmid: 4041752
references.citation: Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2003 Jul;189(1):127-9
references.pmid: 12861150