Prevalence of urinary incontinence and its associated factors among peri- and postmenopausal women of Bollikunta village, Warangal

Abstract

Background: Urinary incontinence (UI) is an unintentional or involuntary loss of urine. Stress and urge incontinence are the most common types. Many women feel embarrassed to seek medical care, and it affects their quality of life to a greater extent and is usually a neglected problem among rural communities. Objective: The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence and to determine the factors associated with UI among peri- and postmenopausal women. Methodology: A community-based cross-sectional study was done among 200 peri- and postmenopausal women of age ≥40 years. The sample size was calculated using a prevalence of 25% from previous studies with a 95% confidence interval and absolute precision of 6%. A simple random sampling technique was employed. A semi-structured questionnaire consisting of the Questionnaire for Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis scale was used for data collection. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 20.0. P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The prevalence of UI was 24% (48 out of 200 women), of which stress incontinence was seen in 15% and urge incontinence in 17% of women. Mixed incontinence was seen in 8% of women. Factors such as increasing age, attainment of menopause, chronic constipation, diabetes, and recurrent UTIs were significantly associated with UI. Conclusion: Two out of every ten peri- and postmenopausal women were found to have UI. Identification of women at risk, educating them regarding preventive measures, following a healthy diet, and encouraging them to seek medical care can greatly reduce their chance of developing UI and aid in improving their quality of life.

Keywords

• menopause
• prevalence
• questionnaire for urinary incontinence diagnosis questionnaire
• rural
• urinary incontinence