AUGS meeting paper
Are sexual activity and satisfaction affected by pelvic floor disorders? Analysis of a community-based survey

Presented at the 27th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urogynecologic Society, Palm Springs, CA, Oct. 19-21, 2006, and at the 36th Annual Meeting of the International Continence Society, Christchurch, New Zealand, Nov. 27-Dec. 1, 2006.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2007.02.053Get rights and content

Objective

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between pelvic floor disorders and sexual activity and satisfaction.

Study Design

Information on pelvic floor disorders, sexual activity, and satisfaction as measured by 100-mm visual analog scale was obtained by questionnaire from 4106 women. Proportions of sexually active women were compared by the presence of each pelvic floor disorder with the use of chi-square tests. Satisfaction was compared with the use of t-tests. Logistic and linear regression analyses were used to assess the association between each pelvic floor disorder and sexual activity and satisfaction.

Results

Eighty-six percent of women with a partner (n = 1486) were sexually active. Women with pelvic floor disorders were less likely to be sexually active and to have lower mean satisfaction scores than unaffected women (P < .001). After regression analyses, pelvic floor disorders were not associated significantly with sexual activity or satisfaction.

Conclusion

In community-dwelling women, sexual activity and satisfaction are independent of pelvic floor disorders.

Section snippets

Materials and Methods

The Kaiser Permanente Continence Associated Risk Epidemiology Study (KPCARES) was a cross-sectional study of 12,200 women who were selected randomly from the 950,000 women aged 25 through 84 years who were enrolled in a large health maintenance organization (Kaiser Permanente Southern California medical program). The details of the study design have been published.12 In summary, a total of 3050 women were selected randomly from each of 4 age groups (25-39, 40-54, 55-69, and 70-84 years) with

Results

Of the 4458 surveys (37%) that were returned, 140 were in Spanish, and 4318 were in English. The racial and ethnic composition of the subsample who returned the surveys was representative of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California membership: 60% non-Hispanic white, 20% Hispanic, 10% African American, 8% Asian-Pacific Islander, 1% Native American, and 1% other or unknown. The details of the population study have been presented previously.12 Of the respondents in the original study, 286 women

Comment

Our findings suggest that PFDs did not independently affect sexual activity or satisfaction in this cohort of community-dwelling women who were enrolled in a managed healthcare plan. Women with OAB, POP, AI, or any ≥1 PFD, although less likely to be sexually active when examined independent of other factors, were found to have rates of sexual activity equivalent to unaffected women after the data was controlled for confounders. Contributors to decreased sexual activity were age, menopause, and

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    Cite this article as: Lukacz ES, Whitcomb EL, Lawrence JM, Nager CW, Contreras R, Luber KM. Are sexual activity and satisfaction affected by pelvic floor disorders? Analysis of a community-based survey. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2007;197:88.e1-88.e6.

    Supported by National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, grant #R01 HD41113-01A1.

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