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Objective: To estimate whether women who underwent mnemonic counseling had better recall of fecal incontinence therapies at 2 months and if mnemonic counseling resulted in greater satisfaction with physician counseling and improvement in quality of life when compared with a group who underwent standard counseling., Methods: Counseling-naive women with fecal incontinence were recruited from an academic urogynecology clinic. Women underwent physical examinations, completed the Quality of the Physician-Patient Interaction, recorded fecal incontinence treatment options they recalled, and completed the Fecal Incontinence Severity Index and Manchester Health Questionnaire immediately after counseling and again at 2 months., Results: Ninety women consented to participate, were randomized, and completed baseline questionnaires. At baseline, women did not differ in age, ethnicity, education, Fecal Incontinence Severity Index, or Manchester Health Questionnaire scores. After counseling, the mnemonic group reported higher satisfaction on Quality of the Physician-Patient Interaction (66.4±6.5 compared with 62.2±10.7, P=.03). Ninety percent (81/90) of women followed up at 2 months. Our primary endpoint, 2-month recall of fecal incontinence treatments, was not different between groups (2.3±1.6 mnemonic counseling compared with 1.8±1.0 standard counseling; P=.08). Secondary endpoints for the mnemonic group reported greater improvement on total Manchester Health Questionnaire (P=.02), emotional (P=.03), sleep (0.045), role limitations (P<.01), and physical limitations (P=.04) when compared with the standard group., Conclusion: Fecal incontinence counseling with a mnemonic aid did not improve recall at 2 months but improved patient satisfaction and quality of life at 2 months.

Introduction and Hypothesis: To compare fecal incontinence (FI) and urinary incontinence (UI) disclosure in women with dual incontinence (DI), and to assess UI disclosure in DI subjects compared with women with UI alone. We hypothesized that women with DI would be less likely to disclose FI in comparison to UI and as likely to disclose UI as women with UI alone., Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of new patient visits to an academic urogynecology clinic from 2007 to 2011. Clinical records were reviewed; demographic data and responses to the Incontinence Severity Index (ISI) and Wexner scales were recorded. Patients' written responses to the ISI and Wexner were compared with the diagnoses obtained from the oral history by the physician., Results: Of 1,899 women in the database, 557 women were diagnosed with DI and 447 women were diagnosed with UI alone. Women with DI were less likely to orally disclose FI than UI (135 out of 557 [23 %], vs 485 out of 557 [87 %], p < 0.001), but were as likely as women with UI alone to disclose UI (385 out of 447 [86 %] vs 485 out of 557 [87 %], p = 0.66). In the multivariate analysis, DI subjects had greater odds of disclosing FI to their physicians if they had private insurance (OR 1.9, 95 %CI 1.2, 3.0) or Wexner score >7 (OR 9.0, 95 % CI 5.4,14.8) and lower ISI score (OR 1.5, CI 1.4, 1.6)., Conclusions: Women with DI were less likely to report FI in comparison to UI. Patients were more likely to orally report FI when the symptoms were severe.

Introduction and Hypothesis: Using qualitative methods, we compared physician-recommended treatment options for fecal incontinence to patient knowledge of treatment options. Our hypothesis was that physician recommendations were not being communicated well to patients and that this impaired patients' ability to cope with fecal incontinence., Methods: Cognitive interviews were conducted with physicians who routinely care for women with fecal incontinence. Physicians were asked to describe their typical nonsurgical treatment recommendations and counseling for fecal incontinence. Women with bothersome fecal incontinence were recruited to participate in focus groups and asked about personal experience with fecal incontinence symptoms and treatment options. For both physician interviews and patient focus groups, qualitative data analysis was performed using grounded-theory methodology., Results: Physicians identified several barriers patients face when seeking treatment: lack of physician interest toward fecal incontinence, and patient embarrassment in discussing fecal incontinence. Physicians universally recommended fiber and pelvic floor exercise; they felt the majority (approximately 70-80 %) of patients will improve with these therapies. Collectively, patients were able to identify all treatment recommendations given by physicians, although many had discovered these treatments through personal experience. Three concepts emerged regarding treatment options that physicians did not identify but that patients felt were important in their treatment: hope for improvement, personal effort to control symptoms, and encouragement to go on living life fully., Conclusions: Whereas physicians had treatment to offer women with fecal incontinence, women had already found the best treatments through personal research and effort. Women want to hear a message of hope and encouragement and perceive personal effort from providers.

Introduction and Hypothesis: To determine whether fecal incontinence (FI) is associated with sexual activity and to compare sexual function in women with and without FI., Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of all new patients seen in an academic urogynecology clinic. Women who reported fecal incontinence, as defined by loss of fecal material on the Wexner scale, were compared with those without fecal incontinence. We compared sexual activity and Pelvic Organ Prolapse Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire-12 (PISQ-12) scores between groups., Results: In our population of women with pelvic floor disorder, 588 women reported FI compared with 527 who did not. On multivariate analysis, FI was not associated with sexual activity status, but was associated with worsened PISQ-12 scores (p < 0.001). PISQ-12 item analysis found that women with FI reported more dyspareunia, fear, and avoidance of sexual activity with greater partner problems (all p <0.05) than women without FI., Conclusions: Women with FI were as likely to engage in sexual relations as women without FI; however, sexually active women with FI had poorer sexual function than those without FI.

Objective: The objective of the study was to compare pelvic floor symptom changes in patients who continue vs discontinue pessary use, and determine whether changes predict pessary continuation., Study Design: Women fitted with pessaries completed the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 (PFDI-20) before and after initiating pessary use. Scores were compared in women who continued vs discontinued pessaries. Analysis of covariance adjusted for baseline differences in scores. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curves were used to find a score predicting pessary continuation., Results: Sixty-four women had complete follow up data; at 6-12 months, 36 of 64 (56%) continued pessary use, and 28 of 64 (44%) discontinued use. The continuation group's final PFDI-20 total, bladder, and prolapse scale scores were better than the discontinuation group's. A 2-month prolapse score that fell to 50% of baseline best predicted pessary continuation., Conclusion: PFDI-20 scores improved most in women continuing pessary use. Pessaries effectively treated urinary symptoms, and most effectively treated prolapse symptoms. Prolapse score improvement best predicted continued pessary use.