Prevalence and associated factors of pelvic organ prolapse among women attending gynecologic clinic in referral hospitals of Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia

Introduction and hypothesis While pelvic organ prolapse is common in clinical observation, there is a lack of evidence regarding its actual proportion and associated factors in the study area. Understanding the prevalence and risk factors could potentially help with prevention. Thus, this study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors related to pelvic organ prolapse in the Amhara region, northwest Ethiopia. Methods An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 424 women, recruited by the systematic random sampling technique. Data were collected in a face-to-face interview using a structured and pre-tested questionnaire to assess the symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse and the socio-demographic, obstetric, gynecologic, medical and surgical characteristics. The stage of prolapse was determined by pelvic examination using the Simplified Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification staging system. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses were employed. Results The overall prevalence of pelvic organ prolapse (stage I–IV) was found to be 37.6% when determined by pelvic examination and 9.2% as assessed by prolapse symptoms. Age ≥ 40 years [AOR 2.46 (1.320, 5.314)], age at first delivery ≤ 20 years [AOR 4.719 (2.44, 9.11)], carrying heavy objects for ≥ 5 hours a day [AOR 12.724 (4.89, 33.07)], parity ≥ 4 [AOR 3.739 (1.693, 8.208)], prolonged labor [AOR 3.487 (1.699, 7.159)], constipation [AOR 2.835 (1.273, 6.317)] and anemia [AOR 2.22 (1.049, 4.694)] were significantly associated with pelvic organ prolapse. Conclusion Prevalence of pelvic organ prolapse is high in the area; thus, developing information and education programs on avoiding risk factors is advisable to reduce the problem.