Women may not be able to enjoy a good sex life if they develop lower urinary tract symptoms and urinary incontinence, a new study has indicated.
Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in the form of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and overactive bladder (OAB), with or without urinary incontinence causes tremendous economic and social burden for those suffering from this problem.Various epidemiologic studies have demonstrated diminished quality of life scores, increased social embarrassment, altered sleep patterns, and impaired mental health in women with all forms of urinary incontinence.
However, the impact of LUTS on female sexual dysfunction remains poorly characterized.
In this study, the research team performed a retrospective analysis of women seen in our female urology clinic over a 3 year time period, specifically comparing the results from a self-administered questionnaire, the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) in women with different types of LUTS.
They categorized women based upon clinical history and physical examination as well as using urodynamic data.
The analysis revealed that women with OAB symptoms with urinary incontinence had the worst scores on the FSFI indicating worse sexual function.
Women with SUI also experienced sexual dysfunction, but not to the degree that those with OAB symptoms with urinary incontinence did.
Those women without urinary incontinence, but with OAB symptoms, had the highest degree of sexual function in our patient population.
This clinical data was supported by the urodynamic data as women with detrusor overactivity, with associated incontinence, without SUI had the lowest FSFI scores.
Women with SUI on urodynamic study also were affected to a slightly lesser degree. However, women with normal urodynamic studies had the highest degree of sexual function as measured by the FSFI.
Source-ANI
RAS/K
