Sexual experiences of male partners before and after female pelvic floor surgery: a qualitative study

Abstract

To obtain a precise idea of the partner's thoughts and experiences with regard to the effect of female pelvic floor disorders and surgery on his sexual life. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted in 8 partners of women undergoing pelvic floor surgery prior to, and in 6 partners at a median of 18 weeks after surgery. The data gathered were systematically analysed using data matrices. Although most men evaluated their sex life prior to surgery in a positive way, one or more changes in the sexual life of our participants as a result of the female pelvic floor disorder were common. This was a result of changes in the man's physical sensations and behaviour during sex (direct changes), and changes in the female partner's sexual behaviour and reduced body confidence (indirect changes). The cure of the pelvic floor disorder and changes in vaginal tightness following surgery caused direct improvements in the man's physical sensations, as well as indirect improvements in his sexual experience as a result of positive changes in the woman's sexual behaviour and body confidence. As only a small group of men participated in this study, the results should be interpreted with caution. The information gathered in our study can provide guidance to clinicians on possible aspects to explore with their patients prior to and after pelvic floor surgery, and can form the basis of disease-specific male sexual function questionnaires that can be used in quantitative studies on this topic.