Women across different racial and ethnic groups share similar UI management strategies and UI experiences. However, perceptions about UI may differ in certain populations. These findings could be useful when considering future educational strategies regarding UI in women.

Objectives To estimate the rates of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) surgery from 2000-2009 by type of procedure, year, age, and region of the country. Methods We utilized data between 2000 and 2009 from a database containing healthcare claims data from employer-based plans in the United States. We analyzed data for all women aged 18-64 years, identifying all SUI procedures in this population. Rates per 100,000 person-years and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated each year by procedure type, age and region. Results The study population included 32.9 million women aged 18-64 years observed for 74,007,937 person-years between 2000 and 2009. During that time, there were 182,110 SUI procedures for a rate of 246.1 per 1100,000 person-years (95%CI: 239.7, 252.6). The most common SUI surgery was sling (198.3 per 1100,000 person-years, 95%CI: 192.8, 203.9) followed by Burch (25.9 per 100,000 person-years, 95%CI 24.8, 27.2). There was a dramatic increase in slings with a corresponding decrease in Burch procedures from 2000-2009. Other SUI surgeries had lower rates. Although this trend was evident across all regions, the Northeast had the lowest rate of SUI surgery, while rates in the West, Midwest and South were 1.44, 1.76, and 2.09 times higher, respectively. Conclusions In a dramatic shift over the last decade, slings have become the dominant procedure for stress urinary incontinence among women aged 18-64 years. Although this trend was seen across the U.S., considerable variability exists in the SUI surgery rates by region.