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Reclaiming feminine vitality: A comprehensive study on the influence of vaginal hysterectomy on sexual function and quality of life in pelvic organ prolapse, a preliminary study
Müjde CANDAY1, Aslıhan YURTKAL11Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kafkas University Faculty of Medicine, Kars, Türkiye
Objectives: This report examines the impact of surgical treatment for pelvic organ prolapse on sexual function and quality of life in women. Materials and Methods: The study group consisted of 34 sexually active women. Baseline characteristics and medical and obstetric history of the patients were recorded. All women underwent vaginal examination to determine the degree of prolapse by pelvic organ prolapse (POP) quantification system. Out of 34 women, 16 (47.05%) had stage 3 prolapse, while 18 (52.94%) women presented with stage 4 apical prolapse. Women were seen before surgery and 3 months postoperatively. At both visits, a short form health survey-36 (SF-36) and female sexual function index (FSFI) were completed, and a qualitative face-to-face interview was conducted. Questionnaires total and domain scores and the change in the preoperative and postoperative scores were calculated and analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: The mean age of the study participants was 53.73±8.41 years, with 17.6% of the patients having a history of grandmultiparity, 67.6% having a lower level of education, and 49.9% having a high body mass index. None of the patients underwent incontinence surgery as part of their hysterectomy procedure. Following surgery for POP, a statistically significant improvement was observed in female sexual functions (p<0.01). This improvement was evident in the total and individual scores of each domain of the FSFI, resulting in an overall enhancement in sexual function from a mean score of 15.03±6.2 pre-surgery to 27.03±4.43 post-surgery. Moreover, a statistically significant difference in SF-36 sub-dimensions was identified between the two time-dependent measurements taken after POP surgery. Qualitative data analysis revealed that the improvement in sexual function was associated with the treatment of POP symptoms. Conclusion: Pelvic floor dysfunction is a multi-faceted problem because it has anatomical and functional aspects. This study demonstrates that POP influences women’s quality of life and sexual functions and shows significant improvement following reconstructive surgeries for these pelvic floor disorders.
Cite This Article
CANDAY M, YURTKAL A. Reclaiming feminine vitality: A comprehensive study on the influence of vaginal hysterectomy on sexual function and quality of life in pelvic organ prolapse, a preliminary study. 2023; 42(3): 99-105
Corresponding Author: CANDAY M.
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