Urinary incontinence or loss of bladder control is by far  the most common problem, and childbirth, which can weaken  pelvic floor muscles, is the most frequent cause. “What stands out is such a large number of women had  symptoms of a moderate-to-severe pelvic floor disorder,” said  Dr. Ingrid Nygaard of the University of Utah, whose study  appears in Journal of the American Medical Association. “We know many women leak urine once in a blue moon if they  are doing strenuous exercise. That such a large number leaks on  a regular basis was surprising to see,” she said by telephone. Nygaard’s team studied 1,961 nonpregnant women aged 20 and  older who were part of a national health survey in 2005-2006. They were examined for symptoms of urinary and fecal  incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse, in which an organ such  as the bladder drops and pushes against the walls of the  vagina. Overall, 23.7 percent of women reported symptoms of at  least one pelvic floor disorder. Of these, 15.7 percent had  urinary incontinence, 9 percent had fecal incontinence and 2.9  percent had pelvic organ prolapse, in which women reported  seeing or feeling a vaginal bulge. Age plays a major role, with just 10 percent of women 20 to  39 reporting at least one disorder, compared with about a  quarter of women 40 to 59, 37 percent of women 60 to 79, and  nearly half of women 80 and older. Women were considered to have urinary incontinence if they  had at least weekly leakage, or monthly leakage of volumes of  more than just a few drops. If women with occasional leakage were included, the numbers  might be much higher, the researchers said. “The study results underscore the need to identify the  causes of pelvic floor disorders and the means to prevent and  treat them,” Dr. Duane Alexander, director of the National  Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said in a  statement. Treatments for urinary stress incontinence — the kind  linked with laughing, coughing, sneezing or exercise — range  from exercises to surgical options. Urge incontinence or overactive bladder can be treated by  lifestyle changes and a number of drugs, including tolterodine  or Detrol made by Pfizer Inc; Vesicare or solifenacin made by  GlaxoSmithKline and Astellas Pharma Inc; and Enablex or  darifenacin by Novartis AG.
Pelvic disorders common among women: study.