Prevalence of bowel symptoms in women with pelvic floor disorders.
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.
Raza-Khan
Fareesa
F
Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, Urogynecology Consultants, St. Louis, MO 63128, USA. fareesa4@yahoo.com
Cunkelman
Jacqueline
J
Lowenstein
Lior
L
Shott
Susan
S
Kenton
Kimberly
K
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
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