Effect of age, body mass index, and parity on Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification system measurements in women with symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the effect of age, body mass index (BMI), and parity on Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) system measurements in women with symptomatic prolapse.

Material and methods: The charts of 603 women with symptomatic prolapse were reviewed. Patients with prior prolapse surgery or hysterectomy were excluded. POP-Q measurements were recorded by a single examiner. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Pearson's product-moment correlation, and Wilcoxon signed rank test.

Results: Three hundred and eleven patients met inclusion criteria. Mean age was 63.4 years, mean parity was 2.6, and mean body mass index (BMI) was 26.6 kg/m(2) . Increasing age was correlated with worsening scores on Ba (r = 0.33, P < 0.0001), C (r = 0.14, P < 0.02), D (r = 0.14, P = 0.02) and Bp (r = 0.13, P = 0.02), while parity was only correlated with worsening scores on Aa (r = 0.12, P = 0.04). There was no correlation between BMI and any POP-Q data point.

Conclusion: The effect of increasing parity was seen solely on point Aa in women with symptomatic prolapse. Age affected all vaginal compartments, while BMI had no impact on POP-Q data points.