Ambulatory care related to female pelvic floor disorders in the United States, 1995-2006.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe trends for pelvic floor disorder (PFD)-related ambulatory visits. Data were derived from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and the National Hospital Ambulatory Care Survey. PFD-related visits were based on ICD-9 codes. We collapsed 12 survey years into 3 study periods (1995-1998, 1999-2002, 2003-2006) to evaluate numbers, rates, and trends for PFD-related visits. The average annual number of PFD-related visits was 3.9 million (95% confidence interval, 3.1-4.7). The annual rate of PFD-related visits per 1000 women was 35.2% in 1995-1998, 40.6% in 1999-2002, and 36.3% in 2003-2006. PFD visits represent 0.9% of all ambulatory visits for adult women in the United States. Women > or =60 years old had higher rates of PFD-related visits compared with women <60 years old. The annual number of PFD-related visits is significant and represents 0.9% of all ambulatory visits made by adult women in the United States.