The impact of flatal incontinence on quality of life

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of flatal incontinence (FI) on quality of life STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective analysis of 678 consecutive new patients who were evaluated over an 8-month period. The Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Inventory-20 and Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire short form-7 were evaluated to compare those women with and without FI. The Student t test and logistic regression were used to determine the impact of FI. RESULTS: The 160 women with FI were older (P < .001), had greater parity (P < .001), were more likely to experience chronic constipation (P = .005), and had more vaginal deliveries (P = .002) than those women without FI. Women with FI scored higher for bother on the Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Inventory-20 (94.1 +/- 46.3 vs 64.1 +/- 41.9; P < .001), and on the Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire short form- 7 (46.2 +/- 50.9 vs 36.2 +/- 43.9; P = .041). CONCLUSION: Flatal incontinence negatively impacts women.