Barriers to seeking treatment for women with persistent or recurrent symptoms in urogynaecology

The aim of this study was to identify the reasons why women with recurrent bothersome urogynaecological symptoms do not seek further treatment. A cohort of 17 women with recurrent incontinence or prolapse symptoms following a prolapse repair were identified and interviewed about their reasons for not seeking help when their symptoms recurred. The mean time between the surgery and the interview was 3 years. The interview transcripts were analysed using constant comparison derived from Grounded Theory. Dominant themes were beliefs about ageing, attitudes towards incontinence, health professionals and treatment and access to services. These factors may be important when counselling women postoperatively.