International Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences

Full Length Research Paper

Assessment of sexual function in women with and without urinary incontinence and Pelvic Organ Prolapse, using the Portuguese version of the PISQ-12 questionnaire

Gulnara Waleska Rubio Martinez Santana¹, Tsutomu Aoki² and Antônio Pedro Flores Auge³

¹Santa Casa de São Paulo–Faculty of Medical Sciences, São Paulo, Brazil.

²Associate Professor of the Santa Casa de São Paulo – Faculty of Medical Sciences, and Director of the Irmandade Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Paulo ,São Paulo, Brazil.

³Associate Professor of the Santa Casa de São Paulo–Faculty of Medical Sciences, and Head of the Clinic of the Irmandade Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

* Corresponding Author’s E-mail: [email protected]

Received December 20, 2011; Accepted January 21, 2012

Abstract

Objective: To assess sexual function in women with and without urinary incontinence/pelvic organ prolapse using the PISQ-12 questionnaire.

Material and Methods: One hundred and thirty–two women were evaluated for the current study. Sixty-four subjects were considered symptomatic and allocated to the study group, whereas 68 asymptomatic women formed the control group. All participants answered the PISQ-12.

Results: There was no difference in educational level, age or marital status between the groups. Using Cronbach´s alpha coefficient, the study group had an α of 0.79 and the control group had an α of 0.80, which indicates good internal consistency. For the test-retest, the Intraclass Coefficient of Correlation was 0.77, ranging from 0.66 to 0.89. The study group scores were lower compared to control group scores, indicating worse sexual function (27.8 ± 9.3 vs. 42.7 ± 3.9, p< 0001).

Conclusion:  Based on the use of the PISQ-12 questionnaire, women with UI/POP had worse sexual function than those without UI/POP

Key words:  Questionnaires; Urinary Incontinence; Pelvic Organ Prolapse; Evaluation.