Efficacy of biofeedback on quality of life in stages I and II pelvic organ prolapse: A Pilot study.

OBJECTIVES: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a prevalent disorder which seriously affects the sufferer's quality of life. The main goal of this study was to evaluate biofeedback impact on quality of life in women with mild to moderate POP. STUDY DESIGN: 40 females in stages I and II POP were allocated into 2 groups. One group received pelvic floor muscle exercise and lifestyle advice in addition to biofeedback twice a week for 4 weeks, while the other received a lifestyle advice sheet and pelvic floor muscle exercise without biofeedback. A valid Persian version of P-QOL questionnaire was applied to assess the patients̕ quality of life at baseline, 4 weeks and 12 weeks follow up. Pressure biofeedback and Physical examination were also performed in order to determine pelvic floor muscle strength and staging of the prolapse, respectively. Collected data were analyzed by mixed ANOVA test using SPSS 22. RESULTS: Biofeedback improved the quality of life in seven of nine P-QOL domains. However, it had no significant impact either on pelvic floor muscle strength or on the stage of the prolapse. CONCLUSION: Biofeedback could be considered as a non-invasive treatment leading to quality of life promotion in women with stages I and II POP.

Changed women: the long-term impact of vaginal mesh complications.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe how women experience vaginal mesh complications after optimized tertiary care level treatment. METHODS: We conducted telephone interviews in 2012 with women at least 6 months after presentation to our tertiary care clinic between 2006 and 2011 for complications related to vaginal mesh and transcribed verbatim responses to 2 open-ended questions about their experiences surrounding vaginal mesh complications. We analyzed data using qualitative description with low-inference interpretation in a team-based setting followed by consensus meetings to arrive at descriptive trajectories of their experiences. RESULTS: Of 111 women, we successfully contacted 88, and 84 agreed to the interview. The mean duration from index mesh surgery to interview was 4.5 years, and the mean duration from presentation to our clinic for complications to the interview was 2.3 years. The effects of mesh complications caused both physical and emotional pain, in addition to the discomfort of the original pelvic floor dysfunction. The women's experiences followed 1 of 3 recovery trajectories. In "cascading health problems," the women experienced a spiral of health problems, anxiety, and desperation. In "settling for a new normal," the women who once considered themselves healthy now believed that they are unhealthy and worked to adjust to their degraded health status. In "returning to health," the women described a return to health. The women still symptomatic discharged from tertiary care clinic expressed hopelessness and abandonment. CONCLUSIONS: Concomitant with ongoing research to improve the safety of vaginal mesh procedures, there must be dedicated efforts to develop and study a range of therapies for holistically treating women with mesh complications.