Pelvic floor dysfunctions involve urinary, fecal, sexual, and prolapse symptoms, which constitute an underreported public health problem [1]. In this sense, it seems that even in different age groups, women may present some type of dysfunction that, in addition to physical impacts, generates consequences in the social and emotional aspects of these women [2,3]. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of urinary, fecal, sexual, and prolapse symptoms in Brazilian women.

This is a cross-sectional study that included women aged 18 to 79 years. Data were obtained via an electronic form with questions for sample characterization and questions related to symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunctions, such as: "Do you usually have a bulge or something protruding that you can see or feel in the vaginal area?" for prolapse presence and "Do you usually have to push something into the vagina or around the anus to achieve complete bowel evacuation/defecation?". The Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 (PFDI-20) was used to assess bowel symptoms, the King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ) for urinary symptoms, and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) to assess sexual dysfunction (SD). The presence of bowel, urinary, and prolapse symptoms was determined by answering "yes" to any of the questions, and SD risk was considered for total scores ≤ 26.55 on the FSFI. Descriptive analysis was performed to determine symptom prevalence by age group categorized into three groups: 18 to 35 years (n = 195), 36 to 50 years (n = 63), and 51 to 79 years (n = 16). The chi-square test was used to check the association between pelvic floor dysfunctions and age groups.

A total of 278 women participated with a mean age of 32 ± 10.5 years. The prevalence of sexual dysfunction risk was 64% (98) in women aged 18 to 35 years, 27% (41) in those aged 36 to 50 years, and 9% (14) in those aged 51 to 79 years. For urinary symptoms, it was 50% (25) for the first group, 38% (19) for the second group, and 12% (6) for the third group. Regarding bowel symptoms, the prevalence was 50% (3), 33% (2), and 17% (1), respectively. Finally, for prolapse presence (n = 10), it was 50% (5) among those aged 18 to 35 years, 30% (3) among those aged 36 to 50 years, and 20% (2) among those aged 51 to 79 years. Regarding the association of variables, bowel symptoms and prolapse presence showed no significant association (p > 0.05) with age groups. As for urinary symptoms and SD risk, a significant association (p < 0.05) was identified.

Considering the demographic characteristics of the participants, SD was more prevalent among dysfunctions, which is consistent with data presented in the literature. Next, urinary symptoms also showed high prevalence, and bowel symptoms were less prevalent, consistent with previous studies [1-3]. Finally, associations showed significant results between urinary symptoms and SD risk in younger women. This indicates the importance of considering women as susceptible to developing dysfunctions regardless of their life stage [2]. Therefore, it is necessary to identify possible risk factors for dysfunction and provide appropriate healthcare [1-3].

The results indicate a risk of sexual dysfunction in the studied women, followed by urinary and bowel symptoms, even in a population considered young. Therefore, it is important to monitor pelvic floor dysfunctions and provide guidance on prevention and treatment regardless of age.

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