More than one-third of U.S. women have a PFD,1 and nearly one-quarter of women in the United States have one or more PFDs that cause symptoms.2 PFDs are more likely to occur as a woman gets older. An estimated 377,000 women underwent surgery in 2010 to correct a bladder control problem or pelvic organ prolapse, and this number is projected to rise sharply over the next several decades.3
- Lawrence, J. M., Lukacz, E. S., Nager, C. W., Hsu, J. W., & Luber, K. M. (2008). Prevalence and co-occurrence of pelvic floor disorders in community-dwelling women. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 111(3), 678-685.
- Nygaard, I., Barber, M. D., Burgio, K. L., Kenton, K., Meikle, S., Schaffer, J., et al. (2008). Prevalence of symptomatic pelvic floor disorders in U.S. women. JAMA, 300, 1311-1316.
- Wu, J. M., Kawasaki, A., Hundley, A. F., Dieter, A. A., Myers, E. R, & Sung, V.W. (2011). Predicting the number of women who will undergo incontinence and prolapse surgery, 2010 to 2050. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. 205, 230.e1-5.