Uterine prolapse and associated factors among reproductive-age women in south-west Ethiopia: A community-based cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Uterine prolapse is an important but neglected public health problem that causes maternal morbidity and mortality in women of reproductive age in low- and middle-income countries, including Ethiopia. However, little data are available concerning uterine prolapse in Ethiopia. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of and factors associated with uterine prolapse in women of reproductive age in Ethiopia. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Loma Woreda, Dawro, south-west Ethiopia, in November and December 2019. Four hundred and twenty-two randomly selected women of reproductive age participated in the study. Face-to-face interviews with a pre-structured questionnaire collected data, and diagnoses were made clinically. Epi Data v3.2.1 and SPSS v24 were used for data entry, processing, and analysis. Binary logistic regression was used to determine associations between dependent and independent variables. Variables with P-values less than 0.25 in bivariate logistic regression were further examined using multivariate logistic regression to investigate associations between the dependent variable and independent variables. RESULTS: The mean age of respondents was 35.4 ±7.994 years. The prevalence of symptomatic and anatomical uterine prolapse was 6.6% (28) and 5.9% (25), respectively. The prevalence of anatomical prolapse was used as a reference when determining associated factors. Age at first marriage (Adjusted Odd Ratio (AOR): 0.25, 95%CI 0.07, 0.89), place of delivery (AOR: 3.33, 95%CI 1.21, 9.13), birth attendant-assisted delivery (AOR 0.21; 95%CI 0.06, 0.71), and history of abortion (AOR: 2.94, 95%CI 1.08, 7.97) were found significantly and independently associated with the prevalence of uterine prolapse. CONCLUSION: Uterine prolapse is common in women of reproductive age. Age at first marriage, place of delivery, birth attendant-assisted delivery, and history of abortion were independent predictors of the prevalence of uterine prolapse. We recommend that the health system link primary health care to hospital-set for uterine prolapse treatment programs. Health institution delivery should be encouraged by the local government. Early marriage and unwanted pregnancy need to be prevented through appropriate strategies.