Long-term effect of hysterectomy on urinary incontinence in Taiwan

Objective: To investigate the effect of hysterectomy on urinary incontinence (UI) in Taiwanese women aged 60 or older. Materials and Methods: A nationwide epidemiologic study was conducted and a total of 2410 women were selected by a multistage random sampling method. Face-to-face interviews with 1517 women were completed. The prevalence of UI by hysterectomy, route of hysterectomy, medical reasons for hysterectomy, and years after hysterectomy were assessed by frequency and Pearson's χ ² test using a significance level of less than 0.05. Results: The prevalence of hysterectomy in Taiwanese women aged 60 or older was 8.83% (134/1,517). Hysterectomy is a risk factor of UI (p=0.003) with the prevalence of UI estimated to be 42.38% (59/134) and that of nonhysterectomy group to be 27.96% (425/1380). Route of hysterectomy (p=0.825), reason for hysterectomy (p=0.060), and how many years after hysterectomy has been performed (p=0.562) were not associated with deteriorating symptoms of UI. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of UI among women who have performed hysterectomy, but there is no significant relationship between UI and route of hysterectomy, reason for hysterectomy, including cervical cancer and uterine prolapsed, or year after hysterectomy.