• Kim Groot Wesseldijk, Hannah van Reemst, Ellen Ter Horst, Grietje Knol-de Vries, and Marco Blanker.
• Department of General Practice and Elderly Care Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen.
• Br J Gen Pract. 2023 Jul 1; 73 (suppl 1).

BackgroundPelvic floor symptoms, such as lower urinary tract symptoms, defecation problems, sexual dysfunction, pelvic pain, and pelvic organ prolapse in females, are common and frequently co-occur. Despite negatively affecting quality of life, few patients seek help. Most studies assessing help-seeking behaviour have focused on a single pelvic floor symptom.AimWe aimed to explore the barriers and facilitators of help-seeking behaviour in males and females with at least two pelvic floor symptoms.MethodThis interview study included participants based on age and symptoms (number and type) from a larger group taking part in a survey on pelvic floor symptoms in the general population. Two researchers independently encoded and analysed the semi-structured interviews, continuing until saturation for both the male and female cohorts.ResultsOf the 25 participants (13 male, 12 female), 9 sought help for all of their pelvic floor symptoms, 10 did not seek help for any symptom, and 6 sought help for some of their pelvic floor symptoms. We identified themes in domains related to the patient, healthcare professional, environment, and symptom. Although most themes applied to both males and females, some had greater sex specificity.ConclusionMales and females have more similarities than differences in help-seeking behaviour. Healthcare providers should be aware that patients who seek help for one symptom probably have multiple pelvic floor symptoms that the patient has not reported.© British Journal of General Practice 2023.

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