Association between overactive bladder and peri-menopause syndrome: a cross-sectional study of female physicians in...

To determine the detailed association between overactive bladder (OAB) and peri-menopause syndrome (PMpS) in Chinese female physicians of peri-menopausal age.

Data for this study were collected by administering questionnaires eliciting general information (peri-menopausal symptoms and OAB status) to middle-aged female physicians, from the directly affiliated three hospitals of Peking University in China. We used the overactive bladder symptom score (OABSS) to verify the symptoms of OAB and the modified Kupperman menopausal index (KMI) to assess PMpS.

Three hundred fifty-one questionnaires were finally evaluated. The average age was 47.1 ± 5.4 years. Overall, 7.4% of respondents had OAB and 22.6% had PMpS. There was a significant positive correlation between the severity of OAB and prevalence of OAB and PMpS. The prevalence of OAB in women with PMpS (KMI > 15) was significantly increased (18.99 vs. 4.44%; P = 0.000). The average OABSS in women with PMpS was 2.67 ± 2.15, compared with 1.46 ± 1.50 in women without PMpS. The average KMI score in women with OAB was 16.04 ± 10.1, compared with 9.50 ± 8.13 in women without OAB (P = 0.000). Multivariate logistic regression analysis results showed that only BMI and PMpS were independent risk factors for OAB.

In China, female physicians with menopausal symptoms tend to have a higher prevalence of OAB and more severe symptoms of OAB.