Symptomatic pelvic floor disorders and its associated factors in South-Central Ethiopia.

INTRODUCTION: Pelvic floor disorders (PFD) are gynecologic health problems containing a wide variety of clinical problems; the most prevalent problems are pelvic organ prolapse, fecal incontinence, and urinary incontinence. It is a significant women's health problem for both developed and developing countries. One in five women in Ethiopia experiences at least one major type of pelvic floor disorders. Despite the severity of the problem, due attention was not given, and no study has been conducted on pelvic floor disorders in the Gurage Zone. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and associated factors of symptomatic pelvic floor disorders among women living in Gurage Zone, SNNPR, Ethiopia, 2020. METHODOLOGY: Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from February to March 2020 among 542 women residing in the Gurage Zone. A multi-stage sampling method was used to select the participants. Interviewer administered, pretested questionnaires containing questions related to pelvic organ prolapse, urinary, and fecal incontinence was used. The urinary incontinence severity index questionnaire was used to assess the severity of urinary incontinence. Epi-Info x7 was used to record data, and SPSS was used to analyze the data. Binary logistic regression with 95% CI was used to explore the relationship between PFD and other independent variables. After multivariable logistic regression analysis variables with P-value less than 0.05 was used to determine significant association. RESULT: A total of 542 participants were included in this study. Overall, 41.1% of the participants reported one or more symptoms of pelvic floor disorders. Urinary incontinence had the highest prevalence (32.8%), followed by pelvic organ prolapse (25.5%) and fecal incontinence (4.2%). History of weight lifting >10 Kg (AOR = 3.38; 95% CI: 1.99, 5.72), ≥5 vaginal delivery (AOR = 11.18; 95% CI: 1.53, 81.58), and being in menopause (AOR = 3.37; 95% CI: 1.40, 8.07) were identified as possible contributing factors in the development of a pelvic floor disorders. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of symptomatic PFD was higher compared to other similar studies in Ethiopia. Heavy weight lifting, repetitive vaginal deliveries and menopause were factors significantly associated with PFD. Expansion of technologies and building basic infrastructures, health education on kegel exercise and promotion of family planning should be considered as a prevention strategy.

Precancerous Cervical Lesions Among HIV-Infected Women Attending HIV Care and Treatment Clinics in Southwest Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Despite being one of the few cancers that can be prevented with simple testing, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women. HIV-positive women showed a median three-fold higher incidence of cervical lesions. AIM: This study aims to assess the prevalence and factors associated with precancerous cervical lesions among HIV-infected women attending care and treatment clinic in selected hospitals of Southwestern Ethiopia. METHODS: Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from February 1 to July 30, 2018. A systematic random sampling technique was employed to select 454 HIV-infected women. Pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire and medical record review were used for data collection. Visual inspection with Acetic acid was done for participants to detect precancerous cervical lesions. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 20. Binary and multiple logistic regression analyses were done. The presence and strength of association were determined using AOR with its 95% CI. Variables with a P value of less than 0.05 were considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: The prevalence of precancerous cervical lesion was 18.7% [95% CI; (15.1-22.4%)]. Currently, not being on highly active antiretroviral treatment [AOR= 2.31, 95% CI: 1.23-4.39], age (20-29 years) [AOR= 0.185, 95% CI: 0.036,0.939], has no history of sexually transmitted infection [AOR=0.026, 95% CI: 0.006-0.116], has no history of genital wart [AOR= 0.261, 95% CI: 0.073-0.934] and having one lifetime sexual partner [AOR=0.133, 95% CI: 0.024-0.726] were found to be significantly associated with precancerous cervical lesion. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of Precancerous Cervical lesion was found to be high in this study. Expansion of screening services and undertaking preventive measures against sexually transmitted infection need to be emphasized.