PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE AWARENESS AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH REPRODUCTIVE PROFILES OF WOMEN IN DUHOK GOVERNORATE

Ramzya Ramzy Mohammed; Iman Yousif Abdulmaled

Ramzya Ramzy Mohammed university of zakho
Iman Yousif Abdulmaled Professor, College of Medicine, University of Duhok, Obstetrics & Gynecology Department, MBChB. FICMS

Keywords: Pelvic Organ Prolapse, Awareness, Reproductive age women

Abstract

https://doi.org/10.31386/dmj.2025.19.2.5

Background: Pelvic organ prolapse is a gynecological condition affecting women post-
childbirth, causing herniation of the uterus, cervix, vaginal wall, bladder, and rectum, leading
to symptoms like pelvic pressure, vaginal bulging. The study seeks to identify the socio-
demographic and obstetric profiles of the women, evaluate their awareness regarding pelvic
organ prolapse, determine the relationships between these characteristics and their awareness.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 400 women during the
period from September to December 2024. A structured questionnaire was administered to
collect data related to socio-demographic and obstetric characteristics, along with women's
awareness pelvic organ prolapse. Analyses were done using SPSS version 26, an IBM program.

Results: Most participants were aged 30–39 years (49%) and lived in urban areas (76.2%). The
majority were housewives (63.7%), and nearly half were overweight (48%), with 27% obese.
Education levels varied, with 31.3% holding higher education and 25.3% being illiterate.
Obstetric data showed early marriage (mean age 20.98) and childbirth (mean age 22.40), with
most women having 2–4 children and delivering vaginally. A family history was reported by
26.8%, and 20.5% had been previously diagnosed. Awareness was higher among diagnosed
women, with 53.7% showing good awareness versus 13.2% in the control group.

Conclusion: The majority of women, particularly those without prior diagnosis, have low
awareness about pelvic organ prolapse. However, those with more children, previous
diagnoses, or a family history of pelvic organ prolapse have higher awareness.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

References
1. Barba M, Schivardi G, Manodoro S, Frigerio M. Obstetric outcomes after uterus-sparing surgery for uterine prolapse: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2021;256:333-338.
2. Wojtas AK, Cygnarowicz A, Sacher K, Zabojska K, Korotko U, Mandziuk A, Witowska K, Turemka M, Biskupski M, Chosseinnejad N. Pelvic organ prolapse–general overview and latest therapy possibilities. Qual Sport. 2024;25:56803-56803.
3. García-Mejido JA, Martín-Martinez A, González-Diaz E, Núñez-Matas MJ, Fernández-Palacín A, Carballo-Rastrilla S, Fernández-Fernández C, Sainz-Bueno JA. Identification of surgical uterine prolapse in premenopausal patients with clinical or ultrasound criteria? A multicenter comparative study. J Ultrasound Med. 2023;42:2269-2275.
4. Yu X, Lin W, Zheng X, He L, Yang Z, Lin Y. Emerging trends on the mechanism of pelvic organ prolapse from 1997 to 2022: visualization and bibliometric analysis. Front Med. 2023;10:1158815.
5. Badacho AS, Lelu MA, Gelan ZC, Woltamo DD. Uterine prolapse and associated factors among reproductive-age women in south-west Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study. PLoS One. 2022;17:e0262077.
6. Salvatore S, De Bastiani S, Del Deo F. Epidemiology and etiology of pelvic organ prolapse. In: Pelvic Floor Disorders: A Multidisciplinary Textbook. 2021. p. 547-554.
7. Li Y, Li Z, Li Y, Gao X, Wang T, Huang Y, Wu M. Genetics of female pelvic organ prolapse: up to date. Biomolecules. 2024;14:1097.
8. García-Mejido JA, Ramos-Vega Z, Fernández-Palacín A, Borrero C, Valdivia M, Pelayo-Delgado I, Sainz-Bueno JA. Predictive model for the diagnosis of uterine prolapse based on transperineal ultrasound. Tomography. 2022;8:1716-1725.
9. Alqahtani MA, Lee SR. Translabial ultrasound for pelvic organ prolapse. Obstet Gynecol Sci. 2022;66:69-75.
10. Segarra AC. Conservative treatment of female pelvic organ prolapse. Lithuanian University of Health Sciences; 2024.
11. Bugge C, Dembinsky M, Kearney R, Hagen S. Does self-management of vaginal pessaries improve care for women with pelvic organ prolapse? BMJ. 2021;372.
12. Merga A, Bidira K, Geda A, Nigatu D, Bayana E. Pelvic organ prolapse and its associated factors among women: a facility-based cross-sectional study. Inquiry. 2023;60:00469580231219155.
13. Subedi S, Thapa T, Joshi A, Chapagain S, Shrestha S. Awareness regarding pelvic organ prolapse among women attending a teaching hospital in Chitwan. Surgery. 2019;2:33-37.
14. Yadav AK, Sahni B, Kumar D, Bala K, Kalotra A. Effect of women's and partners' education on maternal health-care services utilization in five empowered action group states of India: an analysis of 13,443 women of reproductive age. Int J Appl Basic Med Res. 2021;11:231-237.
15. Assefa Demissie B, Tennfjord MK, Mihiret T, Abich Y, Zemed A, Mengistu Z, Nigatu SG. Prevalence and associated factors of symptomatic pelvic floor disorders among women living in Debre Tabor Town, Northwest Amhara, Ethiopia. BMC Womens Health. 2024;24:367.
16. Tega A, Yenealem F, Belay G, Asmare E, Getaneh T, Desalegn M, Dechasa N, Addis Z. Quality of life and its associated factors among women with pelvic organ prolapse who attend gynecology clinics, Southern Ethiopia 2022. BMC Womens Health. 2024;24:398.
17. Islam R, Bell R, Billah B, Hossain M, Davis S. The prevalence of symptomatic pelvic floor disorders in women in Bangladesh. Climacteric. 2016;19:558-564.
18. Dhital R, Siwal RC, Pokhrel KN, Pokhrel S, Tuladhar H, Bright S, Tunnacliffe E, Thapa K, Makins A. Evaluating the long-term impact of Female Community Health Volunteer involvement in a postpartum family planning intervention in Nepal: a mixed-method study at 1 year post-intervention. 2020.