Hysterectomy might adversely affect pelvic floor functions and result in many different symptoms, such as urinary and anal incontinence, obstructed defecation, and constipation.

Dr Akin Firat Kocaay and colleagues performed a prospective study to evaluate the influence of hysterectomy on pelvic floor disorders.

The team conducted a study at the Ankara University Department of Surgery and the Dr Zekai Tahir Burak Women’s Health Research and Education Hospital between 2008 and 2011.

The study was performed on patients who underwent hysterectomy for benign pathologies.

The research team performed a questionnaire about urinary incontinence, anal incontinence, constipation, and obstructed defecation, along with an extensive obstetric history, was administered preoperatively and postoperatively annually for 4 years.

Patients who had completed each of the 4 annual postoperative follow-ups were included in this study. 

The team found that compared with the preoperative observations, the occurrence of each symptom was significantly increased at each of the follow-up years. 

Over the 4 postoperative years, the frequencies for constipation were 8%, 8%, 9%, and 5%.

The researchers observed that those for obstructed defecation were 5%, 5%, 4%, and 3%.

The team noted that those for anal incontinence were 5%, 6%, 6%, and 5%, and those for urinary incontinence were 12%, 12%, 11%, and 13%. 

In addition, patients who had no preoperative symptom from any of the selected symptoms showed a postoperative occurrence of at least 1 of these symptoms of 16%, 14%, 11%, and 9% for the postoperative years 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Dr Kocaay's team concludes, "Hysterectomy for benign gynecologic pathologies had a significant negative impact on pelvic floor functions in patients who had no previous symptoms."