**2. Etiology, pathophysiology, and risk factors**

There are many theories which explain the urinary, fecal incontinence, and pelvic organ prolapse. The risk factors such as obesity, high parity, advanced age, and life style have been

© 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2018 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

mentioned but we still lack a real understanding of the pathophysiology of pelvic floor disorders. Although it seems apparent that multiple factors combine in each woman for the development of a clinical condition like prolapse or UI, these need to be identified prior to treatment to avoid recurrence of disease. The genetic predisposition aggravated by acquired risk factors, such as childbirth, hormonal changes, and aging predisposes the women to PFD. There is a lack of strong evidence for this hypothesis. Findings of epidemiologic studies are frequently inconsistent. A clearer comprehension of the pathophysiology responsible for PFD is clinically relevant on different levels. First, identifying the patient population at risk through screening of known polymorphism can lead to preventive strategies and the avoidance of contributing risk factors. Second, it may allow the development of interventional therapies where we can locally modify the extracellular matrix (ECM) composition of pelvic floor muscles and ligaments. Future research should then focus on understanding what processes control ECM remodeling and aging using specific and standardized measurement methods and tracing them back to genetic transcription [5].

require a definitive surgical treatment and few women may need a second procedure during their life time. Multi-compartment pelvic floor disorders are now increasingly being evaluated and managed jointly by urogynaecologists and colorectal surgeons in a designated pelvic floor clinic. Before embarking treatment, a comprehensive tool for symptom assessment or the use of a standard questionnaire is required. Patient should be counseled in detail about diagnosis,

Introductory Chapter: Pelvic Floor Disorders http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.77302 3

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Obstetrics and Gynecology, Agha Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan

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**Author details**

Raheela M. Rizvi

**References**
