Prevalence and Incidence of Urinary Incontinence in a Diverse Population of Women With Noncancerous Gynecologic Conditions

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and incidence of urinary incontinence (UI) in a diverse cohort of women presenting with noncancerous gynecologic conditions and to assess factors associated with UI prevalence and incidence. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of data from SOPHIA (Study of Pelvic Problems, Hysterectomy and Intervention Alternatives), a longitudinal study of women with noncancerous gynecologic conditions (bleeding, pelvic pain, and symptomatic fibroids). UI was defined as incontinence in the last 4 weeks as reported on interviewer-administered annual questionnaires. We also evaluated the type of UI: stress (SUI), urge (UUI) or mixed incontinence (MUI). RESULTS: The study population of 907 women was 40.8% White, 28.0% African American, 17.3% Latina and 8.1% Asian. The mean age was 44.1 ± 5.4 years and 48.5% had an annual household income of ≤$50,000. The overall prevalence of any UI was 51.1%. At baseline, SUI was the most common at 39.4% followed by UUI at 23.7% and MUI at 18.9%. The average annual incidence for any UI was 4.2%. 13% of the women who underwent hysterectomy developed incident UI after their surgery. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, prevalent UI was associated with the following: age in decades (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2, 2.2), Latina race/ethnicity compared to white (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.3, 3.3), and parity (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.2, 2.4). None of the factors evaluated were associated with incidence of UI. CONCLUSION: Urinary incontinence is very common in women seeking care for noncancerous gynecologic conditions, particularly among older, parous Latinas.