INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: To assess the prevalence of lower urinary tract 
symptoms (LUTS) and incontinence in female athletes and to determine the 
etiological factors.
METHODS: An anonymous self-questionnaire was collected from 623 casual female 
athletes aged 18 to 56 years, who were involved in 12 different sports. The 
surveys were distributed by hand to the athletes, during their sports fitness 
tests, in a sports center. We investigated the relationship between urinary 
disorders and factors such as age, body mass index (BMI), parity, duration of 
physical exercise, and type of sport.
RESULTS: The prevalence of LUTS was 54.7%, and 30% for urinary incontinence. 
Changes in urinary frequency were detected in 91 (14.6%) women. Prevalence of 
dysuria was 13.3%, urinary straining was present in 173 (27.8%) athletes, 
whereas urinary urgency had an estimated prevalence of 37.2% with 232 athletes 
suffering from this disorder. Urgency was very common in volleyball players, as 
was dysuria among hockey and basketball players, whereas straining mainly 
affected aerobic participants and cyclists. Long training hours and competitive 
practices were correlated with the onset of LUTS. High-impact sports were more 
frequently associated with incontinence, while low-impact sports with LUTS. The 
sport with the main number of incontinent people was football. Urge incontinence 
affected a lot of athletes, mainly cyclists and football players. Stress 
incontinence was more frequent in hockey and volleyball players.
CONCLUSIONS: LUTS and incontinence are prevalent in female athletes. In many 
cases, the disorders were present only during sports activities. In this sample, 
the presence of urinary disorders did not seem to be a barrier during sports or 
exercise.