Gynaecology Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Gynaecology, including details on pap smears, laparoscopy, ultrasound, hysteroscopy.

Female urinary incontinence in China: experiences and perspectives.

Komorowski L, Chen B

Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA. leannek@stanford.edu

We sought to understand the perceptions and experiences of Chinese women living with urinary incontinence (UI), a problem that has not yet been characterized in China. We conducted the study using semistructured interviews with 15 women, aged 24-81, diagnosed with UI at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic of Fuzhou General Hospital, Fujian, China. We conducted and analyzed the interviews according to the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis model. The five core themes we derived from the participants' responses were uncertainty about UI, self-blame, avoidance, emotional isolation, and desire for treatment. The negative impacts of UI we documented, such as limiting exercise and causing embarrassment, demonstrated that UI is a problem for the affected women in China. Our study was limited by the small sample size and the need for additional reliability/validity measures, but we believe it presented a strong foundation and justification for more rigorous research into UI in China.

Published 17 February 2006 in Health Care Women Int, 27(2): 169-81.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2005-2008 Gynaecology Research Today. All Rights Reserved.