Self-reported urinary tract infections in the past year among perimenopausal and postmenopausal women: a nationally representative survey

Objective: To identify factors associated with self-reported urinary tract infection (UTI) within the past year among a population-based sample of women aged 50-80. Methods: Data were collected from a nationally representative survey conducted by the National Poll on Healthy Aging from January to February 2022 of a randomly selected, stratified group of US women aged 50-80. The primary outcome was self-reported UTI in the past year. Sociodemographic variables and comorbidities were analyzed with a multivariable logistic regression to identify independent risk factors for UTI. Results: Among 1,200 participants, 198 (16.5%) reported a UTI. In bivariate analysis, women reporting a UTI experienced more menopausal symptoms including sleep problems (68.7% vs. 54.0%, P =0.008), reduced libido (64.2% vs. 44.5%, P =0.001), mood swings/irritability (55.4% vs. 34%, P <0.001), and pelvic/ bladder pain (40.5% vs. 7.3%, P <0.001) than women who did not report a UTI. Using logistic regression models adjusted for age, education, marital status, sexual activity, and co-morbidities, women who reported ≥4 menopausal symptoms were more likely to report a UTI compared with women with 0-1 menopausal symptoms (aOR 7.74, 95% CI: 3.67-16.34, P <0.001). Women with annual household incomes <$30,000 were significantly more likely than women with household incomes >$100,000 to report a UTI (aOR 2.89, 95% CI: 1.32-6.34, P =0.008). Conclusion: UTI in the past year was significantly associated with multiple menopausal symptoms and lower household income. Providers should screen for menopausal symptoms in women reporting a UTI. Having a lower annual household income may be a risk factor for UTI and could represent a disparity that warrants further investigation.