(213) Sexual Dysfunction in Young Women with Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Sexual intercourse is the risk factor most commonly associated with recurrent UTI in young women. Few studies have analyzed how rUTIs subsequently impact women’s sexual health and function Objective To investigate whether young women with rUTIs experience sexual dysfunction. Methods This is a prospective study with preliminary data collection from May – June 2022. A survey was posted on five subreddits, r/Healthyhooha, r/Interstitialcystitis, r/CUTI, r/WomensHealth and r/badwomensanatomy, which included questions on demographics, rUTI history and the 13-question Female Sexual Distress Scale-Revised (FSDS-R). Women were asked to answer the questionnaire in terms of their rUTI frequency and severity, with a scale from 0 (never) to 4 (always). Women between 18 – 35 years, not currently pregnant, and had UTIs at least every 3-4 months were included in the analysis. A score ≥ 11 indicated female sexual dysfunction (FSD). Severity of FSD was categorized as: mild (11 – 20), mild-moderate (21 – 30), moderate (31 – 40) and severe (≥41). Results One hundred fifty-one women completed the survey with 120 included in the analysis (79.5%). The average age was 27±4.9 years, majority self-identified as white (85.7%), and over half had a comorbidity (57.5%), with the most common being irritable bowel syndrome (33.3%) and autoimmune illnesses (23.2%). Half of women (50%) experienced UTIs every 3-4 months, 36.7% every month, and 13.3% every week. Women had rUTIs for an average of 9.2±8.4 years. Over half of women (59.2%) had a complication from their rUTIs, with 43% having pyelonephritis and 26.6% urosepsis. In the FSDS-r, frustration about sexual problems received the highest average score (2.9), with 42.5% of women reporting frequently and 30% reporting always feeling frustrated. Guilt over sexual problems had the second highest average score (2.7), with 35% of women frequently and 29.2% always feeling guilty. More than a third of women (40.8%) responded that they frequently avoid sex due to sexual distress. We found 111 (92.5%) participants qualified as having FSD, with an average FSDS-r score of 31.9±12.3. In terms of FSD severity, 10.8% had mild, 28% mild-moderate, 33.2% moderate and 28% severe. There was no significant difference between ethnicity, comorbidities, complications, and UTI frequency with worsening FSD score. Conclusions Many young women experience rUTIs. In our study, over 90% of young women with rUTIs qualified as having FSD measured by the FSDS-R. Our findings highlight the importance of screening women who experience rUTIs for sexual dysfunction to potentially improve their sexual health and quality of life. Disclosure No