JAMA: 2008-09-17, Vol. 300, No. 11, Author in the Room™ Audio Interview

Interview with Ingrid E. Nygaard, MD, MS, author of Symptomatic Pelvic Floor Disorders in Women. Summary Points: 1. The three primary pelvic floor disorders include urinary and fecal incontinence, and pelvic organ prolapse. 2. In a national population-based sample, nearly one-quarter of U.S. women reported at least one symptomatic pelvic floor disorder: overall, 15.7 percent experienced moderate to severe urinary incontinence, 9.0 percent experienced fecal incontinence at least monthly and 2.9 percent experienced symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse (a bulge in the vagina they could see or feel). 3. Older women, overweight and obese women and multiparous women were more likely to report a pelvic floor disorder.