Factors Associated with Sexual Activity for Women with Pelvic Floor Dysfunction - A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective:  To examine women with pelvic floor dysfunction (PFDs) and identify factors associated with sexual activity (SA) status that impacts quality of life (QoL).

Methods:  We conducted a cross-sectional study that included women > 18 years old who presented with at least one PFD symptom (urinary incontinence [UI] and/or pelvic organ prolapse [POP]), in outpatient clinics specializing in urogynecology and PFD in Fortaleza, state of Ceará, Brazil, using a service evaluation form and QoL questionnaires.

Results:  The analysis of 659 women with PFD included 286 SA (43.4%) women and 373 non-sexually active (NSA) (56.6%) women, with a mean age of 54.7 (±12) years old. The results revealed that age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.07, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-1.12) and post-menopausal status (OR = 2.28, 95% CI 1.08-4.8) were negatively associated with SA. Being married (OR = 0.43, 95% CI 0.21-0.88) was associated with SA. Pelvic organ prolapse (OR = 1.16, 95% CI 0.81-1.68) and UI (OR = 0.17, 95% CI 0.08-0.36) did not prevent SA. SF-36 Health Survey results indicated that only the domain functional capacity was significantly worse in NSA women ( = 0.012). Two King's Health Questionnaire domains in NSA women, impact of UI ( = 0.005) and personal relationships ( < 0.001), were significantly associated factors. Data from the Prolapse Quality-of-life Questionnaire indicated that NSA women exhibited compromised QoL.

Conclusion:  Postmenopausal status and age negatively affected SA. Being married facilitated SA. Presence of POP and UI did not affect SA. However, NSA women with POP exhibited compromised QoL.