The association between recent cannabis use and urinary incontinence in women: a population-based analysis of the NHANES from 2009 to 2018

Introduction In this study, we investigated the association between recent cannabis use and urinary incontinence(UI) among women using the 2009-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Methods A total of 7889 women aged 20 years and older were included in the study. Respondents were dichotomized as recent users or non-users if they had used or not used cannabis in the past 30 days, respectively. Urinary incontinence (UI) was ascertained by self-report. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to adjust for sociodemographic and health-related covariates. Results Among 7889 women, 12.1% (n = 955) of subjects reported recent cannabis use. In the adjusted analysis, recent users were more likely than non-users to report stress, urge and mixed incontinence (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.12-1.53, p < 0.001; OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.18-1.66, p < 0.001; and OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.12-1.53, p = 0.018). And, the association becomes more significant among heavy users (>= 20 of the past 30 days) (SUI: OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.26-2.09, p < 0.001; UUI: OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.32-2.24, p < 0.001; and MUI: OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.20-2.25, p = 0.0019). Conclusion Recent cannabis use was associated with an increased likelihood of stress, urge and mixed incontinence in women.