Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Dec;13(4):196-202.
doi: 10.4274/tjod.71245. Epub 2016 Dec 15.

The impact of abdominal and laparoscopic hysterectomies on women's sexuality and psychological condition

Meryem Kürek Eken  1 , Gülşah İlhan  2 , Osman Temizkan  3 , Evrim Erbek Çelik  4 , Dilşad Herkiloğlu  5 , Ateş Karateke  5
Affiliations

The impact of abdominal and laparoscopic hysterectomies on women's sexuality and psychological condition

Meryem Kürek Eken et al. Turk J Obstet Gynecol. 2016 Dec.

Abstract

Objective: To investigate whether there were any differences in the quality of life, sexual function, and self-esteem of patients who underwent total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) (n=42) and total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) (n=42).

Materials and methods: All premenopausal patients who underwent TLH or TAH because of benign uterine disorders were enrolled. The sexual function and quality of life status were assessed preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively using three standardized validated questionnaires: the Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale (ASEX), the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES).

Results: Preoperative ASEX, SCL-90-R and RSES scores were not different among the hysterectomy subgroups. The postoperative SCL-90-R scores were also not different among the hysterectomy subgroups. The postoperative RSES scores were significantly lower (p<0.05) than the preoperative scores for all procedures (indicating improved self-esteem) but did not differ among the groups. The postoperative ASEX scores were significantly decreased (p<0.01) as compared with the preoperative scores (indicating improved sexual function). When the average score of each item of the ASEX score was compared in both groups, significant differences were observed in sexual drive and arousal in the laparoscopy group (p<0.01).

Conclusion: Women undergoing TLH for benign uterine disease may have better outcomes related to certain sexual function parameters than women undergoing TAH.

Keywords: Quality of life; Total laparoscopic hysterectomy; self-esteem; sexual function; total abdominal hysterectomy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: No conflict of interest was declared by the authors.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Flow chart of study design SCL-90-R: Symptom Checklist-90-Revised
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Wallwiener M, Taran FA, Rothmund R, Kasperkowiak A, Auwarter G, Ganz A, et al. Laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy (LSH) versus total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH): an implementation study in 1,952 patients with an analysis of risk factors for conversion to laparotomy and complications, and of procedure-specific re-operations. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2013;288:1329–39. - PubMed
    1. Ayoubi JM, Fanchin R, Monrozies X, Imbert P, Reme JM, Pons JC. Respective consequences of abdominal, vaginal, and laparoscopic hysterectomies on women’s sexuality. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2003;111:179–82. - PubMed
    1. Farquhar CM, Steiner CA. Hysterectomy rates in the United States 1990-1997. Obstet Gynecol. 2002;99:229–34. - PubMed
    1. Altman D, Granath F, Cnattingius S, Falconer C. Hysterectomy and risk of stress-urinary-incontinence surgery: nationwide cohort study. Lancet. 2007;370:1494–9. - PubMed
    1. Pauls RN. Impact of gynecological surgery on female sexual function. Int J Impot Res. 2010;22:105–14. - PubMed