Obesity and pelvic floor dysfunction

Associations between obesity, physical fitness, and urinary incontinence in non-institutionalized postmenopausal women: The elderly EXERNET multi-center study

“…Obese women had a risk of suffering from UI increased by 87.0% compared to those with normal BF%. Overfat women have high values of intra-abdominal pressure [3] which may increase the intra-vesical pressure and urethral mobility, and affect pelvic floor muscles [3,32,33,35]. Another anatomical explanation would be the association between retropubic space and stress UI since overweight women have more retropubic space than their normal-weight counterparts [36].…”

The effects of microenergy acoustic pulses on animal model of obesity‐associated stress urinary incontinence. Part 2: In situ activation of pelvic floor and urethral striated muscle progenitor cells

“…Our recent study indicates that obesity actually impairs the contractile properties of the urethral sphincter through intramyocellular lipid deposition, which leads to atrophy and distortion of the urethral striated muscle, an important contributor to obesity‐associated‐SUI (OA‐SUI) . Current options for treatment of OA‐SUI include oral medications, urethral bulking agents, and urethral sling surgeries, however, limited efficacy or short‐term and long‐term complications may occur . Recently, exogenous stem cells have been applied to treat SUI‐associated neuronal and muscular deficiencies, but bear some negative side effects.…”

Obesity and sexual function

“…1 Obesity may be associated with a higher prevalence of pelvic floor disorders, and those who are obese may have a constellation of symptoms including but not limited to urinary, bowel, and sexual problems due to pelvic organ prolapse. 3 Both fecal and urinary incontinence are also estimated to be more common in the obese patient. 3 The definitive causal link between obesity and female sexual dysfunction has not been widely researched in welldesigned clinical trials; however, some studies demonstrate that the negative impact on sexual function parameters can be linked to diminished sexual self esteem, 4,5 body image concerns, 6 and the impact that obesity has on overall general health/wellness and quality of life.…”

“…3 Both fecal and urinary incontinence are also estimated to be more common in the obese patient. 3 The definitive causal link between obesity and female sexual dysfunction has not been widely researched in welldesigned clinical trials; however, some studies demonstrate that the negative impact on sexual function parameters can be linked to diminished sexual self esteem, 4,5 body image concerns, 6 and the impact that obesity has on overall general health/wellness and quality of life. 1 Other research implicates obesity in loss of sexual interest or desire, poor overall sexual functioning, and even avoidance of sexual encounters.…”