Prevalence of Symptomatic Pelvic Floor Disorders among Japanese Women

Objective: There is little epidemiological data regarding pelvic organ prolapse (POP) in Japan, despite it being recognized as a disease can be treated in the outpatient or inpatient settings. Our aim was to estimate the prevalence of symptomatic POP among Japanese women. Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated 8,407 randomly selected women (20-90 years old) who were employed at the Japanese Agriculture Group. Trained research assistants distributed a Japanese self-administered questionnaire that was specifically designed for this study. The participants were asked to provide information regarding their demographic characteristics and symptoms of POP or urinary incontinence (UI). The potential risk factors included age, body mass index, self-reported conditions or comorbid diseases, parity, heavy lifting at work, perceived health status, and occupation. Results: The weighted prevalence of POP was 5.64% (95% Cl: 5.15-6.13%), the prevalence of UI was 44.25% (95% CI: 43.19-45.31%), and at least one pelvic floor disorder was reported by 46.15% of the women (95% Cl: 45.09-47.22%). The proportion of women who reported having symptomatic POP generally increased with age and peaked at the age of 70-79 years (20-29 years old: 0.86%, 30-39 years old: 3.45%, 40-49 years old: 3.59%, 50-59 years old: 5.79%, 60-69 years old: 6.12%, 70-79 years old: 6.27%, and ≥80 years old: 5.37%; p<0.001). Conclusion: The present study provided the first population-based estimate of the prevalence of POP among Japanese women. The prevalence of symptomatic POP increased with age and peaked at 70–79 years. Approximately half of adult Japanese women reported experiencing symptoms of at least one pelvic floor disorder (POP and/or UI).