Many women experience pelvic organ prolapse and subsequently decide to pursue surgery to correct this. Obliterative procedures (such as a LeFort colpocleisis) can be appealing to patients because of their durability and low risk. The way that women come to the decision to have a LeFort procedure and their feelings of regret afterward have not been well characterized in the current literature. This study aimed to use qualitative methods to explore women’s decision-making and feelings after this procedure. We also used the standardized and validated Decision Regret Scale for Pelvic Floor Disorders and The Satisfaction with Decision Scale for Pelvic Floor Disorders to determine feelings of regret and satisfaction after this procedure.

This study involved interviewing 10 women who had a LeFort colpocleisis in the two years prior. They participated in semi-structured telephone interviews that were recorded and transcribed. The transcriptions were analyzed using Grounded Theory to develop themes around decision-making and feelings of regret after the procedure. The standardized and validated Decision Regret Scale for Pelvic Floor Disorders and The Satisfaction with Decision Scale for Pelvic Floor Disorders were administered at the end of the telephone interviews to further characterize the patients' regret and satisfaction with their decision.

In terms of decision-making, women made the decision to pursue LeFort colpocleisis mainly by themselves with some assistance from other important people in their life. They often felt it was their own decision to make and that they had the ability to control their body and their life through their decision of how to manage their pelvic organ prolapse. None of the women regretted the procedure on the basis of the inability to have penetrative intercourse and did not feel it affected their sexual function in a negative way. Most women felt adequately counselled on other options for management of prolapse and on what the actual procedure would involve. In many cases, they expressed that they wished they had pursued surgery earlier because they were very satisfied with the results.

This study showed that many women who undergo LeFort colpocleisis feel adequately counselled regarding the procedure and happy with their decision to pursue surgery. Our centre will continue to offer this procedure to patients with increased awareness and insight into their decision-making process. We will also be able to inform future patients that there is a low risk of regret after the procedure, especially on the basis of sexual function.

Women who underwent LeFort colpocleisis were generally very happy with their decision. They primarily made the decision to have surgery themselves but also felt influenced by their physician, family members and partner. None of them regretted having an obliterative procedure for pelvic organ prolapse for reasons of sexual function. LeFort colpocleisis is an excellent option for management of pelvic organ prolapse in women who no longer wish to have penetrative vaginal intercourse and patients can be reassured that they are unlikely to regret the decision to have this procedure.