History and clinical investigations: Patient complaints in perspective

A pelvic floor disorder is defined by one of the following conditions: pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and incontinence for urine or feces. As the prevalence of pelvic floor defects increases with age, the problem will grow more important in the aging population of the West. The prevalence of pelvic floor defects has a wide range between studies because different criteria (numerator) and varying populations (denominator) are used. In a population-based study (1) a prevalence of POP of 3.9% was found, increasing with age. The lifetime risk to undergo prolapse surgery at the age of 60 is 5% and increases to 11% by the age of 80 (2). Estimates in literature concerning urinary stress incontinence vary from 4% to 50% (3). Fecal incontinence increases with age, and the prevalence in the general community is reported to be 2.2% in all age groups (63% of the patients are female) (4).