Urinary incontinence in United States Air Force female aircrew

Objective: To determine if flying high-performance military aircraft capabl e of sustaining up to 9g increases the incidence of incontinence in United States Air Force female aircrew. Methods: An anonymous survey addressing urinary incontinence was conducted among Air Force active-duty women on flying status. Respondents were asked if they had ever leaked urine and, if so, how much and at what time: off-du ty, on-duty (not flying), or while flying. The survey was approved by the A ir Force Surgeon General's Office and the Air Force Survey Branch. Results: Two hundred seventy-four of 426 surveys were completed and returne d, for a response rate of 64.3%. The overall prevalence of incontinence was found to be 26.3% (72 of 274). Of the women complaining of incontinence, 8 8.9% (64 of 72) stated that it had occurred off-duty, 31.9% (23 of 72) stat ed that it had occurred on-duty (not flying), and 18.1% (13 of 72) stated t hat it had occurred while flying. Risk factors for incontinence included cr ew position, vaginal parity, and age. The type of aircraft flown did not af fect the incidence of reported incontinence. Conclusion: The rate of urinary incontinence among female Air Force aircrew is similar to rates found in other surveys of the general population. Flyi ng high-performance military aircraft did not affect the rate of incontinen ce. (Obstet Gynecol 1999;94:532-6. (C) 1999 by The American College of Obst etricians and Gynecologists.).