Having children might be a blessing, but women who have more than three children are twice as likely to have a pelvic floor disorder.
After three years of statistical research, Ingrid Nygaard, a professor of gynecology and co-principal investigator for gynecological research at the U Medical Center, and other U scientists published a study showing that women carrying pregnancy weight are more susceptible to the disorder.
Pelvic floor disorder is characterized by urinary and fecal incontinence caused by the weakening or injury of pelvic muscles and tissue. According to the study, one-fourth of all women have some type of pelvic floor disorder.
Nygaard has spent 19 years researching injured muscles and tissues in the pelvic area that can lead to incontinence.
Starting in 2005, Nygaard, Peggy Norton, another co-principal investigator in the research and a professor of gynecology, and other researchers submitted questions on the disorders in a National Institutes of Health survey on health and nutrition examination.
The researchers surveyed 1,961 women asking questions about their symptoms. Nygaard said the results showed about 23.7 percent of the women replied they had symptoms of at least one type of the disorder, and the symptoms increased with age.
Although the disorder affects women who have had children, all women ages 50 and older are susceptible to problems.
Nygaard said the United States health care system has to handle the problems, which will involve more work on treatment and prevention.
“It’s not a sexy topic, but it is an important issue that a lot of women have,” said Laura Burr, a research coordinator at the U Medical Center. “It’s not something you go around bragging about, so I feel very good that we are addressing this issue.”
Burr feels the research will affect the quality of life for women around the world.
Norton said one out of every three women develop some type of this disorder and about 11 percent need a surgical procedure to treat it.
The National Institutes of Health funded the research project with $600,000 every year for five years. Nygaard and Norton’s research has discovered no links with other gynecological diseases such as ovarian cancer or other disorders.