Comparative Assessment of Female Sexual Function Following Transobturator Midurethral Sling for Stress Urinary Incontinence

Abstract

Urinary incontinence (UI) is a significant social problem. According to the World Health Organization, UI affects as much as 30% of premenopausal women and 60% of postmenopausal women. Urinary incontinence can lead to certain problems that negatively affect a woman’s sex life. They result from the fact that certain processes take place in the body during intercourse. As a result of orgasm, the intra-abdominal pressure increases, which in women with urinary incontinence can cause an uncontrolled leakage of urine. The discomfort that this causes, in turn, lowers sexual attractiveness, as well as causes embarrassment. The study involved 50 patients hospitalized in the period from February to May 2019 at the Gynecology Department of the Independent Public Healthcare Center of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration in Wrocław. All patients underwent surgical treatment of stress urinary incontinence using the transobturator tape (TOT) method. To assess sexuality, the international standardized Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire. Analysis of the results obtained from the FSFI questionnaire shows that the operation significantly affects the reduction in pain sensation during intercourse, a reduction in the sensation of sexual arousal, and a worsening vaginal wetness. Stress urinary incontinence significantly affects women’s sex life.