QUALITY OF LIFE IN WOMEN WITH STRESS URINARY INCONTINENCE

Abstract

The aims of the study were to make a comparison between the quality of life in women with stress urinary incontinence before and 6 months after operative treatment, that is, before and after plicated colposuspension and to prove that women after colposuspension have a better quality of life. The study is a prospective, crosssectional study. Material is represented by 66 women, diagnosed with stress urinary incontinence of moderate and severe degree, aged 35 to 75 years. The study did not include: women with overactive bladders or mixed urinary incontinence; women with fistulas of the urinary tract; women with congenital or acquired defects of the urethra or bladder; women with urinary tract infections and women taking medications that contribute to an overactive bladder. The study was conducted from January 2020 to January 2023 at the University Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics in Skopje, Department of Urogynecology. In all women, we performed: urinary status with urine sediment and urine culture; ultrasound examination; Marshall's tests; urodynamics; plicated colposuspension; a survey questionnaire containing questions about women's demographic characteristics, social status, economic status, gynecological and reproductive history, life habits and the Incontinence Quality of Life (I-QOL) questionnaire, assessing two time periods: before surgery and six months after surgery. Our study showed an improvement in the quality of life in women with stress urinary incontinence after operative treatment, i.e. after plicated colposuspension. The improvement is shown by analyzing the answers in the three domains of the quality of life questionnaire [Avoidance and limitation of behaviors (p=0.018); Psychosocial influences (p=0.001); Social shame (p=0.012)].