Prevalence and factors of urinary incontinence among postmenopausal women attending the obstetrics and gynecology outpatient service in a tertiary health care center in Kochi, Kerala

• Main Authors: Aathira Kizhakkeveetil Ajith, Amritha Rekha, Sucharitha Duttagupta, Vinita Murali, Devraj Ramakrishnan, Vijayakumar Krishnapillai
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2019-01-01
• Series: Indian Journal of Community Medicine
• Subjects: Kerala; postmenopausal women; urinary incontinence
• Online Access: http://www.ijcm.org.in/article.asp?issn=0970-0218;year=2019;volume=44;issue=5;spage=30;epage=33;aulast=Ajith
• ISSN: 0970-0218; 1998-3581

Introduction: Urinary incontinence has an immense impact on the social and mental health, and the quality of life of a person. Women neither come forward seeking medical consultation nor do they discuss about their incontinence openly, and the condition remains underestimated in the society. Hence, this study was undertaken to assess the type of urinary incontinence in postmenopausal women visiting obstetrics and gynecology (OBG) outpatient in a tertiary health care sector and to determine the risk factors of urinary incontinence. Materials and Methods: All postmenopausal women of age 45–90 years visiting the OBG Department of Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in the months of May and June 2018 were assessed for urinary incontinence. QUID questionnaire - a six item urinary incontinence diagnostic questionnaire to diagnose and differentiate stress, urge and mixed incontinence - was used. Results: The prevalence of urinary incontinence was 26.47%, stress urinary incontinence contributing 13.9%, mixed urinary incontinence 7.2%, and urge urinary incontinence 5.4%. Chronic cough, recurrent urinary tract infections (UTI), and prolonged duration of labor were independent risk factors associated with urinary incontinence in postmenopausal women. Conclusion: Stress incontinence was found to be the major type of urinary incontinence in the postmenopausal women. Those having history of chronic cough, prolonged duration of labor, and recurrent UTI should be screened regularly for urinary incontinence.