The effect of pelvic organ prolapse on sexual function in a general cohort of women

Abstract

Introduction: This is a report about the effects of pelvic organ prolapse on sexual function in women.

Aim: To determine the effect of pelvic organ prolapse on sexual function in women.

Methods: The study group consisted of 1,267 sexually active women. Baseline characteristics, medical and obstetric history of the patients were recorded. All women underwent vaginal examination to determine the degree of prolapse by pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POPQ) system. Of 1,267 women, 342 (27.0%) had prolapse stage ≥2.

Main outcome measure(s): The Pelvic Organ Prolapse Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire short form (PISQ-12) scores of the women were recorded.

Result(s): Women with genital prolapse had lower PISQ-12 scores than women without it. The difference resulted mainly from urinary incontinence during sexual activity, fear of incontinence and avoidance of intercourse due to prolapse. Multivariate analyses showed that genital prolapse was one of the confounding factors for sexual function.

Conclusion(s): Pelvic floor dysfunction is a multi-faceted problem because it has both anatomical and functional aspects. Although pelvic organ prolapse had an effect on some aspects of sexuality, it has no effect on certain aspects of sexual function such as orgasm and sexual satisfaction.