Impact of the mid-urethral sling for stress urinary incontinence on female sexual function and their partners’ sexual activity

Abstract

Objective: To assess the impact of the transobturator mid-urethral sling (MUS) procedure on female sexual function and their partners’ sexual activity. Materials and methods: Sexually active women with stress urinary incontinence who underwent a transobturator MUS procedure at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of two medical centers were prospectively enrolled. All participants and their partners were required to complete questionnaires before surgery and 3 months after surgery. Results: Eighteen women undergoing both the transobturator tape (TOT) procedure (n = 14) and the tension-free vaginal tape obturator (TVT-O) procedure (n = 4) were enrolled. The female sexual function index scores did not differ between the baseline and postoperative data. However, the overactive bladder symptom scores improved significantly 3 months after surgery. Patients also had an improvement in their arousal score after TOT procedures; however, there was no between-group difference in the post-treatment changes in the arousal scores. Thirteen partners completed their questionnaires at both the baseline and postoperative phases. Fifty-four percent (7/13) of partners stated that sexual intercourse improved after surgery, and 46% (6/13) described no change after surgery. In addition, no change in pain level due to vaginal narrowing or dryness after surgery was observed. Only one partner noticed the tape during intercourse and complained of pain due to the tape. Conclusion: Although most female sexual function remains unchanged after the transobturator MUS procedure, a significant percentage of partners in the study felt that their sexual activity improved after surgery. Keywords: Mid-urethral sling procedure, Sexual function, Transobturator route, Stress urinary incontinence