The Experiences of Women who Live with Pelvic Floor Disorders: A Qualitative Study.
Zahra Hadizadeh-Talasaz, Talat Khadivzadeh, Hossein Ebrahimipour and 1 others
PMID 33875968WHAT IT FOUND
Women with pelvic floor disorders described accepting and tolerating symptoms by hiding them, reducing social and religious activities, managing painful sex, changing diet, timing diuretic pills, and seeking family support.
Key findings
01The analysis produced one theme, acceptance and tolerance, from 15 subcategories and four categories.
02Participants hid their condition by reducing social and religious activities, wearing dark clothes, carrying extra clothing, and limiting fluids.
03They modified daily life with Kegel or pelvic floor exercise, weight loss, diet changes, fluid adjustment, and timing diuretic medication.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The findings are culturally dependent, and women may not have spoken easily about genital symptoms, especially with audio recording. Only women in Mashhad, Iran, were studied, so transferability to other settings is uncertain. The qualitative approach and 22 participants limit generalizability. The study described experiences and did not test whether any self-management strategy improved symptoms.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these self-management strategies as proven effective. The study asked 22 women to describe their experiences and did not test whether any strategy improved symptoms.