Pelvic floor disorders(PFD) are gynecologic health problems containing a wide variety of clinical problems; the most prevalent problems are pelvic organ prolapse, fecal incontinence, and urinary incontinence. It is a significant women's health problem for both developed and developing countries. One in five women in Ethiopia experience at least one major type of pelvic floor disorder. Despite the severity of the problem, due attention was not given, and no study was conducted on pelvic floor disorder in the Gurage zone.

The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of symptomatic pelvic floor disorder among women living in Gurage Zone, SNNPR, Ethiopia, 2020.

A community-based cross-sectional study design was conducted from February to March 2020 among 542 women residing in the Gurage Zone. A multi-stage sampling method was used to select the participants. Interviewer administered, pretested questionnaire containing questions related to pelvic organ prolapse, urinary, and fecal incontinence was used. Urinary incontinence severity index questionnaire was used to assess the severity of urinary incontinence. Epi-Info x7 was used to enter data, and SPSS 23 was used to analyze the data.

A total of 542 participants were included in this study. Overall, 41.1% of the participants reported one or more symptoms of pelvic floor disorder. Urinary incontinence is the highly reported (32.8%) type of PFD, followed by pelvic organ prolapse (25.5%) and fecal incontinence accounts 4.2%. History of weight lifting greater than 10 Kg(AOR=3.02; 95% CI=1.79-5.10), age <18 at first delivery (AOR=0.61; 95% CI=0.38-0.99), number of vaginal delivery(AOR=9.20; 95% CI=1.28-66.12), and being menopause(AOR=3.18; 95% CI=1.32-7.67)were the determinant factors of pelvic floor disorder.

The prevalence of PFD could be higher if it was assessed objectively (by physical examination). So for researchers who are interested in investigating further, we would like to recommend using an objective assessment method in addition to the symptomatic questionnaire. The impact of heavy physical work and heavy weight lifting like fetching water from a distance, collecting and slicing firewood, farming, carrying goods to and from the market, and, processing kocho/enset is s not to be underestimated. Expansion of technologies and basic infrastructure to modify the lifestyle of women should also be considered.

Keywords- pelvic floor disorder, urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, Gurage, Ethiopia