DOC News October 1, 2004
Volume 1 Number 2 p. 23
© 2004 American Diabetes Association
Obesity and Urogenital Health
Although obesity is believed to be a risk factor for urinary incontinence
and pelvic prolapse, there have been few reports to measure obesity's impact
on urogenital health. Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic Florida in Weston
recently concluded a study to evaluate the impact of obesity on the pelvic
floor functions in women.
Twenty morbidly obese women who were planning to undergo gastric bypass
surgery were studied. Twenty age-matched normal weight women were used as
controls. All subjects completed several symptom and impact
questionnaires.
The study group had an average weight of 296 lbs while the control group
had an average weight of 145 lbs.
Researchers found with the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire that the study
group experienced urinary incontinence that significantly affected lifestyle.
The Urogenital Distress Inventory indicated more urinary leakage with activity
and more incidents of small amounts of leakage in the study group.
According to the Koashi/Quality of Life Questionnaire, women in the study
group experienced constipation more often because of difficulty in emptying
the rectum. The Index of Female Sexual Function indicated no significant
difference between the two groups regarding sexual function.
Researchers found that morbid obesity is associated with a significant
negative impact on the urogenital health of women but not on sexual
function.
Kapoor DS, Davila GW, Rosenthal RJ, Ghoniem GM: Pelvic
floor dysfunction in morbidly obese women: pilot study. Obes
Res 12:1104–1107, 2004.[Medline]
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