Prevalence and risk factors of pelvic floor disorders after delivery in Japanese women using the PFDI-20: A single-center retrospective cohort survey

Background: Female pelvic floor disorders (PFD) include various clinical conditions, such as urinary and fecal incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. PFD assessment has been facilitated by developing disease-specific questionnaires, such as the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 (PFDI-20). We aimed to investigate the prevalence of PFD in Japanese women after delivery and the association of PFD with epidural anesthesia. Methods: : This retrospective study included women who gave birth at our institution. The PFDI-20 questionnaire (validated in Japanese) was used to evaluate PFD symptoms 6–15 months postpartum. Results: : Of 212 postpartum women, 156 (73.6%) manifested PFD symptoms. The most prevalent PFD symptom was urinary distress in 114 (53.8%) women, wherein 79 (37.3%) women experienced urine leakage related to increased abdominal pressure. Conclusion: A comparison of the epidural and non-epidural groups regarding the association between PFD and delivery mode revealed a higher disease burden score by 8.67 points in the epidural group. Therefore, correct diagnosis of women along with appropriate and regular follow-up until improvement of their symptoms would be significant. Healthcare workers should, therefore, inform pregnant women whether to choose vaginal delivery with or without anesthesia. To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first to investigate whole postpartum PFD in Japan. Trial registration: Retrospectively registered.