The Association of Abdominal Striae With Pelvic Organ Prolapse.

OBJECTIVE

Our objective was to estimate the prevalence of abdominal wall striae among women with and without pelvic organ prolapse (POP) in a population with pelvic floor disorders.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included nonpregnant women with urinary incontinence and POP presenting to a tertiary urogynecology practice between December 2012 and August 2013. Participants completed a nonvalidated questionnaire about striae, and the degree of abdominal wall striae was quantified on physical examination. Baseline demographics, clinical characteristics, and Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) measurements were recorded.

RESULTS

One hundred thirty-two women were approached for participation, of which 110 (83%) completed study questionnaires. Of these 110, 59 had POP defined at POP-Q stages 2-4, whereas 51 had normal pelvic support, POP-Q stages 0-1. The mean (SD) age was 55.5 (12) years, and most (78/110) were sexually active. Women with POP were more parous than women without POP (median 2 vs 1, respectively; P = 0.03). However, there was no difference in medical comorbidities, smoking status, or steroid use between groups (P > 0.05). More women with POP reported striae (42/59 [71%] vs 23/51 [45%], P = 0.006) and had quantifiable abdominal wall striae compared with women with normal support (39/59 [66%] vs 22/51 [44%], P = 0.02). On multivariate logistic regression, women with POP were 2.5 times more likely to have striae compared with women without POP after adjusting for skin type and smoking status (odds ratio, 2.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-6.06; P = 0.04).

CONCLUSION

Women with POP are more likely to have striae compared with women without POP.