Impact of Aging on Pelvic Skeletal Muscles

Aging is a key risk factor for pelvic skeletal muscle dysfunction and the resultant pelvic floor disorders, which include pelvic organ prolapse, and urinary and fecal incontinence. These common conditions interfere with the well-being of older women due to their negative impact on quality of life and associated morbidities. Prevalence of pelvic floor disorders increases by 20% for each decade of life, reaching 50% in women age 80 and over. Importantly, as the U.S. population is aging, pelvic floor disorders will affect an increasing proportion of women over the next decades, with a forecasted 44 millions of women suffering from pelvic floor disorders by 2050. Moreover, the substantial costs of these debilitating will grow at twice the rate of the population due to the increased life expectancy in our society. Despite this, the pathophysiology of pelvic floor disorders and the cause of age-related pelvic muscle dysfunction remain poorly understood. As a result, there are currently no preventive measures and existing treatments are limited. In particular, pelvic muscle rehabilitation is less effective in older women, and surgical approaches are associated with high failure rates and adverse events. Our mission is to elucidate the pathogenesis of age-related pelvic muscle dysfunction and ways to mitigate the untoward impact of aging.