Painful bladder syndrome (PBS) is the reason of the significant deterioration in the quality of life. It happens because of the presence of constant pain in the bladder and frequent urination, but also due to violations in the sexual sphere, the appearance of pain in the genital area during or after intercourse. Because of that, women reduce the frequency of sexual activity or completely stop it. PBS is the diagnosis of exclusion, so patients go a long way to see specialists in various fields of medicine before they can diagnose PBS. Quite often such patients mistakenly interpret pain in the pelvic area, genitals, as well as discomfort or impossibility of sexual intercourse, as a manifestation of gynecological diseases such as vulvodynia, endometriosis or vaginal vestibulitis, which is not true and subsequently complicates the effective and timely treatment of PBS. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and severity of sexual dysfunctions in women with PBS in comparison with the control group.

In this study participated 75 female patients with a confirmed diagnosis of PBS and 75 women from the control group without pelvic pain and disyria. Patients from both groups were comparable in age (PBS patients 42.4 ± 3.1 and patients from the control group 41.8 ± 2.9 years). The age composition of both groups of patients was comparable: 19-29 years - 26 (34.6%), 30-44 years - 39 (52%), 45-59 years - 6 (8%), 60 and more years - 3 (4%). Patients of both groups had sexual activity at least 1 time per week during 1 month. All patients completed the Pelvic pain and urgency/frequency patient symptom score (PUF Scale), O’Leary- Sant Interstitial Cystitis Symptoms Index, (ICSI) and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire. The FSFI questionnaire value ≤26.5 points was assessed as the presence of female sexual dysfunction.

In patients with PBS and in patients from the control group the summary score of questionnaires were significantly different. The results of PUF Scale in the group with PBS was  19.4 ± 2.3 vs. 2.9 ± 1.8 in the control group, the ICSI data obtained in the group with PBS was 16.1 ± 1.2 vs. 7.4 ± 1.3 in the control group. The results of FSFI questionnaire in patients with PBS were 16.5 ± 4.4 vs. 30.5 ± 4.2 in the control group. The data of the PUF Scale and ICSI questionnaires significantly correlated with the results of the FSFI questionnaire (p <0.05). Thus, 69 (92.2%) patients with PBS had female sexual dysfunction and only 24 (32%) patients in the control group.

Pain was the most common manifestation of female sexual dysfunction and pain is the most common reason for avoiding sexual intercourse in women. In our study 53 (70.6%) patients experienced pain during sexual activity compared to 18 (24%) in the control group and PBS influenced all 6 domains of the female sexual function index. As well, the manifestations of female sexual dysfunction depend on many factors.

According to the results of our study the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in patients with PBS is significantly higher than in patients from the control group.