title: The personal impact of pelvic floor symptoms and their relationship to age.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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.
authors.affiliation: Derriford Hospital, Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Plymouth, PL6 8DH, UK, duaanupreet@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Anupreet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dua
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Radley
authors.forename: Georgina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Farkas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D059952:Pelvic Floor Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires