BACKGROUND: Genital prolapse is a common
health problem in
elderly women . It is prevalent among
elderly females and
affects their
quality of life . Those with a severe degree of
genital prolapse may need operative
treatment which may be risky due to co-morbid conditions such as
hypertension , respiratory
disease, cardiovascular disease and
diabetes mellitus . The aim of this study was to determine the
prevalence of
genital prolapse and the
effectiveness of
pelvic floor exercise to prevent worsening of
genital prolapse in
elderly females .
METHOD: The authors conducted a cross sectional study to determine the
prevalence of
genital prolapse in 682
elderly women (
aged > or = 60 years)
who lived within a 10-kilometer
radius of Siriraj
Hospital . 654 subjects were eligible for the controlled trial to determine the
effectiveness of
pelvic floor exercise to prevent worsening of
genital prolapse . There were 324 subjects in the
control group and 330 subjects in the experimental group. The experimental group received
training in
pelvic floor exercise and were asked to perform the
exercise 30 times after one
meal , every day for 24 months. The subjects were followed-up every 6 months for 24 months to assess worsening of
genital prolapse .
RESULTS: The
prevalence of
genital prolapse was 70 per cent. There were 324 subjects in the
control group and 330 subjects in the experimental group. After 24 months of
pelvic floor exercise , the rate of worsening of
genital prolapse was 72.2 per cent in the
control group and 27.3 per cent in the experimental group (p = 0.005). The rate of worsening of
genital prolapse was not significantly different between the
control group and the study group in those
who had a mild degree of
genital prolapse .
CONCLUSION: The
prevalence of
genital prolapse in
elderly Thai women was 70 per cent. A 24 months
pelvic floor exercise program was effective to prevent worsening of
genital prolapse in the
women who had severe
genital prolapse .