Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Research Paper

1 Introduction

1.1 Pelvic floor dysfunction is a problem Pelvic floor dysfunction is a substantial cause of suffering among women of all age group. It is largely ignored due to lack of awareness and hidden due to cultural background. Globally, it affects at least one third of women (Scherf et al, 2002). The women usually do not vocalize their symptoms especially if it is related to their reproductive function. Many women are too embarrassed to talk about it, some believe it to be untreatable and many women think that it is a natural process of ageing. Reluctance to express, embarrassment, culture, dependant on husband and families for treatment, poor economic background, fear of surgery and pain are reasons for non- consultation (Singh

It challenges their pelvic floor and leads to weakness. Moreover the pelvic organ prolapse through vagina will be more in this position. The Women with prolapse has difficulty in walking, sitting, lifting and squatting. They feel heaviness in the perineum associated with low back ache and also have fear that pelvic organs may fall out through vagina. It affects the performance of daily household work and challenges the quality of life. People with incontinence complaints that they had to change and wash inner wears frequently, use the toilet very often, feel more isolated, embarrassed, frustrated, depressed with low self-esteem because of the fear of leaking urine and feeling unclean. They avoid going out door and isolates themselves from recreational activities and family get together. The sexual life of women is usually affected because it causes discomfort and pain in the pelvic area and leaking of urine or gas during sexual intercourse causes embarrassment. Because of these problems they lose the intimacy with their family members. Thus their quality of life is profoundly affected (khattab et al, 1992).

1.2 Definition of pelvic floor dysfunction

Female pelvic floor dysfunction is a broad term applied to a wide variety of clinical conditions such as urinary incontinence, anal incontinence, pelvic organ prolapsed, sexual dysfunction and chronic pelvic pain caused by the weaknesss or injury

Dr. Arnold Kegel (1894-1981) was an American gynecologist who noted that women’s pelvic floor muscles were weakened by childbirth and post menopausal women. Kegel was the first to report training of the pelvic-floor muscles to be effective in management of urinary incontinence in women. He found that they could recover their strength even after years of disuse. Cure rate of pelvic muscle exercise was reported from 24 to 84 percent in literature. After 18 years of research, he published ‘A Nonsurgical Method of Increasing the Tone of Sphincters and their Supporting Structures’ in 1942. The paper noted that diligent patients usually begin to notice symptomatic relief from urinary incontinence after 2 to 4 weeks of resistive exercises. Kegel’s exercises offer tangible benefits to women of all ages. It is suggested that pelvic muscle training could be performed as Kegel’s exercise with or without aid instruments (Berek et al,