How many women have pelvic floor disorders?

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.