Most women leak a drop of urine on rare occasion with the right provocation, such as jumping on a trampoline, Nygaard said. The researchers were interested in more frequent problems. For urinary incontinence, they looked for women who experienced it weekly or in larger volume. For stool incontinence, they focused on those who experience it once a month or more.

"I find it distressing that almost one in 10 women lose stool monthly," she said.

In measuring pelvic floor prolapse, they asked if women could feel or see a bulge. Even women who cannot may have prolapse and research is looking to see if strengthening pelvic floor muscles of women with mild symptoms can prevent it or at least delay it, said Nygaard.

Surgery is the typical treatment for prolapse and it's usually delayed until the patient experiences discomfort or annoying symptoms like discharge, she said. Although it's not curative, vaginal devices called pessaries can temporarily hold the tissue in place and prevent symptoms, allowing women to avoid or delay surgery.

Many women don't know where to go for help, Nygaard said. They can start with a primary care provider or OB/GYN. They can also learn about providers in their areas who are knowledgeable about the conditions by visiting mypelvichealth.org and using the specialist locator.

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E-mail: lois@desnews.com