Urinary Incontinence: Women Attending the Gynecology Outpatient Clinic Unaware of Symptoms
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Abstract
Objectives: To determine the prevalence, symptom characteristics, risk factors and impacts on quality of life (QoL) of urinary incontinence (UI) in Thai women attending a gynecology outpatient clinic.
Materials and Methods: Voluntary female participants attending a gynecologic outpatient clinic with a complaint of gynecologic problems but not of urinary incontinence at a medical university hospital were prospectively recruited during June 2019 and January 2020. The data were collected using self-reported questionnaires. A Urogenital Distress Inventory Short Form (UDI-6) and Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-Short Form (IIQ-7) in the Thai-version were used.
Results: The total of 354 participants were enrolled. One hundred and eighty-six women (52.5%) with gynecologic symptoms had experienced urinary incontinence during the past 3 months. The prevalence of urinary incontinence increased with age, vaginal delivery, and body mass index (BMI). Stress urinary incontinence (45.2%), urgency urinary incontinence (22.0%) and mixed urinary incontinence (32.8%) were reported among unrecognized urinary incontinence participants. A high BMI and constipation were found to be the significant factors associated with developing urinary incontinence. The QoL assessment from the IIQ-7 revealed that the women in the unaware group suffered a mild impact on UI from four domains of influence including physical activity, travel, social/relationships and emotional health of QoL.
Conclusion: Urinary incontinence was commonly found in Thai women attending a gynecology outpatient clinic. Despite experiencing the symptoms, however, the majority of them rarely sought treatment. This may be due to its mild symptoms.
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