Sexual profile and adaptations of men after spinal cord injury

Abstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) refers to any type of injury to the neural elements of the spinal canal, resulting in countless damages, one of them being the change in patterns of sexual response, conditioned by physical, psychological, and social aspects. Due to these changes, patients need to make adjustments to maintain sexual activity. Objective: To verify the sexual profile and adaptations of men after SCI and to associate the neurofunctional diagnosis with sexual frequency, erection, use and type of adaptation, and the use of adaptation with sexual frequency and sexual satisfaction. Method: Cross-sectional study with 36 men with spinal cord injuries. They were interviewed with the (QSH-LM) questionnaire. Results: The mean age was 36.64 years old with the majority of injuries stemming from traffic accidents, resulting in paraplegia or complete injury. After the SCI, 52.8% of the subjects remained married, 75.5% maintained sexual activity, whereas 44.4% have less than one intercourse/week, 80.6% are sexually satisfied, 50% have erection, 38.9% ejaculation, and 44.4% orgasm. Regarding the use of adaptations to achieve and maintain an erection, 61.1% of the subjects use them, 25.5% because they fail to maintain an erection and 22% have opted for the penis ring. There was a significant association between paraplegics who use adjustments more frequently and prefer the penis ring and patients who use sexual adaptations having greater sexual frequency and being sexually satisfied (p = 0.02). Conclusion: Through this work it is possible to know the sexual profile of patients after SCI and the most used sexual adaptations. These results support the information that might assist healthcare professionals to monitor and guide their patients properly.

Spinal Cord Injury Due to Diving Accidents and Stress Among Artisanal Fishers

“…Some studies report the use of artificial resources to maintain erection, such as a penile ring or oral medication. [21][22][23] The occurrence of sexual problems among the participants in this study may be related to the superficial orientation regarding sexuality provided by health providers to the patient and his partner, or even a lack of orientation, which may hinder a couple's sexual adaptation.…”

“…These factors, together with fear of rejection or fear of failure, may lead to a decreased frequency of sexual intercourse and the emergence of problems in one's sexual performance. 23 Patients using devices for sexual adaptation increase their sexual frequency and become sexually satisfied.…”