Utilization of surgical procedures for pelvic organ prolapse: a population-based study in Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1965–2002

To describe trends in the utilization of surgical procedures for pelvic organ prolapse among women in Olmsted County, MN, we retrospectively identified all county residents undergoing pelvic organ prolapse repair from January 1, 1965 through December 31, 2002. From 1965 to 2002, 3,813 women had pelvic organ prolapse surgeries: 3,126 had hysterectomy combined with pelvic floor repair (PFR) procedures and 687 had PFR alone. The age-adjusted utilization of hysterectomy plus PFR and of PFR alone decreased by 62% (P < 0.001) and 32% (P = 0.02), respectively. In both groups, utilization decreased in all age groups over time except in women aged 80 years and older undergoing hysterectomy plus PFR and women aged 70 years and older undergoing PFR only. The most common indication for PFR was uterovaginal prolapse. Among women in the community, the rate of utilization and age distribution of pelvic organ prolapse surgery changed substantially between 1965 and 2002.