Abstract
It is estimated that 31–44% of all patients with symptomatic POP and/or UI suffer from sexual dysfunction. We aimed to validate the PISQ-12 in pre-and postmenopausal women and to assess the sexual function before and after POP reconstructive surgery. One hundred and forty sexually active patients were hospitalized due to symptomatic POP and 50 healthy controls were enrolled into the study. The patients were asked to complete PISQ-12, the FSFI and Beck’s depression scale questionnaires twice. The Cronbach’s alpha (α) was used to estimate the internal consistency. The scores were compared using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). Improvement in the QoSL (quality of sexual life) was observed in each age group of women. Pre-menopausal patients’ QoSL was much better, both before and after surgery (29.62 and 34.64 points, respectively). The correlation between questionnaires before surgery was 0.63, and after was −0.76. The α value for the PISQ-12 was 0.83 before the procedure and 0.80 afterwards. In all the groups, the test–retest reliability was good—ICC = 0.72. Vaginal reconstructive surgeries improve the QoSL. The only demographic factor influencing the QoSL was the menopausal status. The Polish version of the PISQ-12 is a reliable and responsive instrument for assessing the sexual function in patients with diagnosed POP and/or UI.
Highlights
Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a common problem among women around the world.Due to the aging of the population, it is estimated that in the 40 upcoming years, the number of women with POP symptoms will increase to 46% [1].The negative impact of POP and/or urinary incontinence (UI) on the sexual life of patients is manifested by a decreased interest in sex and less frequent intercourse, which results from disturbances in the feeling of desire, excitement, difficulties in having an orgasm, dyspareunia, and involuntary leakage of urine during intercourse in the case of accompanying symptoms of a UI
Bearing in mind that sexual function has a significant impact on the well-being of patients with POP both before and after treatment, we aimed to assess the reliability of the Polish version of PISQ-12 so it can be valuable for future use in daily medical practice
When considering the issues of the quality of sex life, it is necessary to take into account genetic, social, hormonal, biological and emotional factors, and relationships with a partner and sexual dysfunctions that may occur in men, which can often have a dominant effect on the degree of approval of their own sexuality
Summary
Due to the aging of the population, it is estimated that in the 40 upcoming years, the number of women with POP symptoms will increase to 46% [1]. The negative impact of POP and/or urinary incontinence (UI) on the sexual life of patients is manifested by a decreased interest in sex and less frequent intercourse, which results from disturbances in the feeling of desire, excitement, difficulties in having an orgasm, dyspareunia, and involuntary leakage of urine during intercourse in the case of accompanying symptoms of a UI. Some authors suggest that reconstructive procedures in the case of POP, despite healing the defect, contribute to colpostenosis, changes in the physiological axis of the vagina, dyspareunia and reduced lubrication caused, among others, by surgical damage to vessels and nerves and scar forming as well [5,6,7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
