Summary by Alex Wang
Highlight from this session:
SEXUAL FUNCTION IN OLDER WOMEN WITH PELVIC FLOOR SYMPTOMS IN PRIMARY CARE: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY
Based on the paucity of the knowledge regarding the relationship between pelvic floor symptoms (PFS) and sexual functioning (SF) in post-menopausal women, the authors sought to investigate factors which best predicted SF in old women with PFS and whether sexually inactive old women who abstain from sex was due to symptoms distress or prolapse in a cross-sectional study.
The authors concluded PFS and pelvic floor surgery other than hysterectomy are predictors for poorer SF in older women with PFS in primary care.
In this reviewer’s opinion, this trial was well-designed and the analysis of results is fine in general, but as per the results section; hysterectomy which was deliverately isolated from pelvic surgery was selected for multivariate linear regression. Moreover, less women were found having had hysterectomy in the sexually active group. Nevertheless the role the uterus plays on sexual life were not addressed.
In addition to the psychology aspects including self esteem and femininity－the uterus is an integral part of the female identity, the uterus also plays the role in contraction and perception of orgasm in SF (1, 2).
Therefore, this reviewer would suggest a general female SF questionnaire, like Sexual Function Index (FSFI) (3)which identifies 6 domains: desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction and pain, besides the condition-specific questionnaire－PISQ-12 and PFDI-20 used in this study would be appropriate for investigating the role the uterus plays on the femininity identification and sexual function evaluation.