Sexual function following pelvic floor surgery

Abstract 

Objective

To prospectively evaluate sexual function in women who underwent surgery for incontinence and/or prolapse using the Pelvic Organ Prolapse-Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire (PISQ), and to provide a preliminary evaluation of the PISQ's psychometric properties for a population of women in the United Kingdom.

Methods

Women who underwent surgery for pelvic organ prolapse and/or urinary incontinence completed the PISQ, the Sheffield Prolapse Symptoms Questionnaire, and the King's Health Questionnaire preoperatively and 4 months postoperatively. Rates of item completion were assessed to evaluate the performance of the PISQ, and Cronbach α values and item-total correlations were calculated for the full scale and each of the 3 domains (behavioral–emotive, physical, and partner-related).

Results

Thirty-five women responded to the questionnaire. Postoperatively an improvement was demonstrated for overall score (P=0.002), and for physical (P<0.001) and partner-related domains (P=0.004).

Conclusion

Women reported a significant improvement in sexual function 4 months after surgery for incontinence and prolapse.

Keywords: Pelvic surgery, Prolapse, Sexual function, Urinary incontinence