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. 2022 Jan-Dec:18:17455065211072252.
doi: 10.1177/17455065211072252.

Prevalence of pelvic floor dysfunction in women in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

Haifaa Malaekah  1 , Haifaa Saud Al Medbel  2 , Sameerah Al Mowallad  3 , Zahra Al Asiri  3 , Alhanouf Albadrani  3 , Hussam Abdullah  3
Affiliations

Prevalence of pelvic floor dysfunction in women in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

Haifaa Malaekah et al. Womens Health (Lond). 2022 Jan-Dec.

Abstract

Objective: Pelvic floor dysfunction has a high prevalence among women worldwide. However, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, it is underreported. Thus, we aimed to estimate the prevalence and risk factors of pelvic floor dysfunction in women in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on literate non-pregnant women aged ⩾18 years who agreed to participate in our survey. We used the validated and translated Australian pelvic floor questionnaire and conducted a multivariate logistic regression analysis to assess the risk factors of pelvic floor dysfunction.

Results: A total of 824 participants completed the questionnaire. While 60.2% of the participants had pelvic floor dysfunction, 67.7% reported signs of bowel dysfunction. Urinary dysfunction, prolapse, and sexual dysfunction were present in 44.1%, 67.7%, and 55.4% of the participants, respectively. Age, high body mass index, chronic medical illness, heavy weight lifting, and multiparity were found as the risk factors of bladder function problems. Meanwhile, chronic medical illness, heavy weight lifting, and multiparity were found as the risk factors of bowel dysfunction and prolapse. Age group and marital status were the independent factors associated with sexual dysfunction.

Conclusion: We noted a high rate of pelvic floor dysfunction in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which calls for the need to provide holistic approaches for the prevention and management of pelvic floor dysfunction among women.

Keywords: fecal incontinence; pelvic floor disorders; pelvic organ prolapse; prevalence; sexual dysfunction; urinary incontinence.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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