Prevalence of urinary incontinence in relation to self-reported depression, intake of serotonergic antidepressants, and hormone therapy in middle-aged women: a report from the Women's Health in the Lund Area study.

OBJECTIVE: To study a perceived relationship of urinary incontinence with self-reported depression among middle-aged women, and to outline whether hormone therapy, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors influence the prevalence of urinary incontinence.
DESIGN: A population-based cross-sectional study of 6,642 women from the Lund area, Sweden, aged 50 to 64 years, who answered questions on urinary incontinence. We obtained information on urinary incontinence, self-reported depression, and medication by questionnaire and personal interviews between December 1995 and February 2000.
RESULTS: Thirty-one percent of the women reported urinary incontinence of various severities and 52% reported episodes of depression. Urinary incontinence and self-reported depression were significantly associated [odds ratio (OR) 1.37; 95% CI, 1.23-1.52; P < 0.001]. Among women with self-reported depression, the use of serotonergic antidepressants was statistically associated with urinary incontinence (OR 1.78; 95% CI, 1.33-2.38; P < 0.001). Among women not reporting depression, hormone therapy was significantly associated with urinary incontinence (OR 1.45; 95% CI, 1.22-1.70; P < 0.001). After adjustment for other potential risk factors, serotonergic antidepressants and hormone therapy use were no longer associated with urinary incontinence in women with self-reported depression. However, among women not reporting depression, hormone therapy was still significantly more common in women with urinary incontinence.
CONCLUSIONS: Urinary incontinence and self-reported depression seemed to be associated in middle-aged women. Use of serotonergic antidepressants or hormone therapy does not seem to be associated with a lower prevalence of urinary incontinence.