Overactive bladder (OAB) may be associated with unpleasent  effect on female sexual function. Mirabegron, a β3 receptor agonist, improves OAB symptoms, but there is limited information about its role in amelioration of aspects  of  female sexual function. The  aim of our  study was to assess the impact of Mirabegron on FSD in women affected by idiopathic OAB.

One hundred sexually active women suffering from idiopathic OAB were included in the study. Patients were assessed by means of a urogynecologic physical examination and were asked to complete the 3-day voiding diary, the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire- Short Form (ICIQ-SF), the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire and VAS, before and 12 weeks after treatment with Mirabegron 50 mg once daily dose. In addition, at the same time points, patients underwent uroflowmetry with the measurement of post- void residual volume (PVR).

At baseline all female  patients included in our study were affected by over active bladder symptoms, with 98/100 patients (98%) presenting with symptoms of female sexual dysfunction . At 12- weeks follow- up, the symptoms of overactive bladder improved significantly in all patients, with 59.5% of subjects achieving a complete urinary continence. FSFI Total Score significantly improved in 84/100 patients (84%) from 18.9 ± 4.3 to 21.8 ± 4.5 (p < 0.0001). Thirty two cases (32%) presented with no FSD. Also mean ± SD scores of ICIQ-SF and VAS significantly improved (from 17.1 ± 5 to 7.9 ± 4.8 and from 3.9 ± 1.2 to 6.9 ± 1.2 respectively, p < 0.000).

It was clearly shown that improvement of the urinary symptoms in females with overactive bladder was associated with a corresponding improvement in the domains of female sexual function with a positive impact on their sex life and consequently the quality of life. This improvement may be attributed to a psychological cause (recovery from the urinary incontinence and social burden) or functional cause or both. Our results show that around 84 %  of the females included in the study showed improvement in their FSFI score after receiving Mirabegron  50mg once daily for 3 months as  a treatment for  overactive bladder symptoms.

In our study the use of mirabegron 50 mg once daily for 12 weeks controls urinary symptoms in women with overactive bladder  and also induces a significant improvement in their sexual life and hence the quality of life with minimal side effects. Further future studies with a more detailed insight in and focus on FSD are still needed to back up our results