Prevalence of overactive bladder and associated risk factors in postmenopausal women

Objective: Overactive bladder is a chronic condition that causes a sudden, intense need to urinate, and can have significant physical and psychological effects on patients’ lives. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of overactive bladder and associated risk factors in postmenopausal women.

Method: Cross-sectional study in 397 postmenopausal women aged 50 or older, sexually active, and residents in the Coffee Region, Colombia, between 2021 and 2024, in three highly complex private clinics. The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Overactive Bladder (ICIQ-OBA) instrument was used, and descriptive statistics were used.

Results: The average age of the participants was 53.79 ± 12.68 years. The prevalence of overactive bladder reached 38.79% (n = 154/397). The most frequent symptom was urinary urgency (88.96%), followed by nocturia (78.57%) and urinary frequency (68.83%). The median number of symptoms per woman was 2 (range: 1 to 4). 42.33% of women with urinary urgency manifested moderate (19.7%) to severe (22.62%) symptoms, with a significant increase in severity with increasing age and longer time in menopause. Associated factors include time in menopause ≥ 10 years (OR: 9.36; 95% CI: 3.48-26.15), age ≥ 60 years (OR: 7.42; 95% CI: 2.86-19.71) and atrophic vaginitis (OR: 6.86; 95% CI: 2.83-16.62). Protective factors include a high level of education (OR: 0.15; 95% CI: 0.03-0.69; p < 0.001).

Conclusions: In the postmenopause, more than one third of the women in the Coffee Region have an overactive bladder; it is associated with genital changes and advanced age. Diagnostic and treatment strategies, as well as prevention, are supported.