Female sexual function associated with the use of tension free vaginal tape for stress urinary incontinence

Abstract

Introduction: Female urinary incontinence is a common problem in middle-aged women. Up to 50% of the adult female population have stress urinary incontinence, and the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in these women is around 50%. The aim of this study is to evaluate sexual function before and after a urinary incontinence surgical procedure using tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) or transobturator tape (TOT). Material and methods: A prospective study was conducted on 22 sexually active women who underwent TVT or TOT procedures for stress urinary incontinence by assessing the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) before, and 3 and 6 months after surgery. Results: The study included 22 women with a mean age of 48.3 ± 6.46 years, who underwent TVT or TOT for stress urinary incontinence. The median abdominal leak point pressure (ALPP) was 85.5 ± 17.2 cm H 2 O, with a median pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POPQ) of 0.28 ± 0.45. Female sexual function assessed with the FSFI improved in all the aspects of the questionnaire. The mean total FSFI score before surgery was 21.57 ± 3.53, at 3 months after surgery it was 26.05 ± 3 (P = 0.0001), and at 6 months post-op it was 27.28 ± 5.03 (P = 0.001). Coital incontinence improved in 90% of the participants, and 95% responded that they were satisfied with the results of the procedure.