Factors Associated With Quality of Life in Women Undergoing Surgery for Stress Urinary Incontinence

Purpose: We determined the association of clinicodemographic factors with urinary incontinence related quality of life in women undergoing surgery for stress urinary incontinence, and compared the incontinence specific Incontinence Impact Questionnaire and the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire. Secondary objectives were to evaluate the contributions of incontinence severity and sexual function on quality of life. Materials and Methods: We used baseline data on 597 women in the Trial of Mid-Urethral Slings. Tested quality of life correlates included health status and history, sexual function, and urinary incontinence type, severity and bother. Results: On each questionnaire lower quality of life was associated with younger age, higher body mass index, more stress urinary incontinence symptoms, and more severe and bothersome urinary incontinence symptoms. Each measure identified factors associated with lower quality of life that were not identified by the other, including Hispanic ethnicity, poor health status and more urge urinary incontinence symptoms on the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire, and prior urinary incontinence treatment and more urinary incontinence episodes daily on the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire. Sexually active women had similar quality of life as well as increased incontinence episodes on each questionnaire and more sexual dysfunction on the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire only. Conclusions: In women planning stress urinary incontinence surgery quality of life is associated with nonurinary incontinence factors, and with the type, severity and degree of urinary incontinence symptom bother. Many factors are associated with quality of life as measured by the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire and the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire. However, more nonurinary incontinence factors were associated with quality of life when measured by the former than by the latter. More than 1 scale may be needed to evaluate quality of life after treatment for stress urinary incontinence.