Pelvic Organ Prolapse and Relationship with Skeletal Integrity

Health burden related to osteoporotic fractures in an aging female population far exceeds that imposed by other chronic disorders such as cardiovascular disease and breast cancer. Bone mineral density assessment and clinical risk factors provide independent insights into fracture risk in individuals. A finite list of clinical risk factors are identified as prognostic of fracture risk, namely among aging women, including low body mass, compromised reproductive physiology (e.g., prolonged periods of amenorrhea and early menopause), parental and personal histories of fracture, and alcohol and tobacco use. Pelvic organ prolapse is a common gynecologic entity and a contributor to age-related morbidities. The purpose of this review is to communicate data identifying pelvic organ prolapse as another clinical risk factor for fracture risk in postmenopausal women and to increase the caregiver's vigilance in anticipating and instituting preventive care strategies to a population (i.e., postmenopausal women with clinically appreciable pelvic organ prolapse) that may be at an enhanced lifetime risk for skeletal fractures.