An Evaluation of the Effects of the Transobturator Tape Procedure on Sexual Satisfaction in Women with Stress Urinary Incontinence Using the Libido Scoring System

Introduction and Hypothesis. Most women experience automatic urine leakage in their lifetimes. SUI is the most common type in women. Suburethral slings have become a standard surgical procedure for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence when conservative therapy failed. The treatment of stress urinary incontinence by suburethral sling may improve body image by reducing urinary leakage and may improve sexual satisfaction. Methods. A total of 59 sexually active patients were included in the study and underwent a TOT outside-in procedure. The LSS was applied in all patients by self-completion of questionnaires preoperatively and 6 months after the operation. General pleasure with the operation was measured by visual analogue score (VAS). Pre- and postoperative scores were recorded and analyzed using SPSS 11.5. Results. Two parameters of the LSS, orgasm and who starts the sexual activity, increased at a statistically significant rate. Conclusion. Sexual satisfaction and desire have partially improved after the TOT procedure. 1. Introduction Urinary incontinence can be described as an involuntary urine loss, which has become a social or hygienic problem. The prevalence of urinary incontinence varies widely and increases with age [1]. Most women experience automatic urine leakage in their lifetimes. SUI is the most common type in women [2]. In this condition, increase of intra-abdominal pressure causes urine leakage during coughing, laughing, or weightlifting. SUI can be demonstrated objectively by some tests including stress test and Q-tip test. The transobturator tape procedure was developed by Delorme to reduce the complications associated with the tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) including bladder perforation, urinary retention, and bowel injury [3]. Recently, suburethral slings have become a standard surgical procedure for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence when conservative therapy failed. Libido is a subjective issue that refers to a person’s sex drive or desire for sexual activity. The definition and explanation of this term has been problematic since the symptoms are vague and can be seen in other conditions too, for example, depressive disorders. Moreover, no cutoff level for a normal range of libido has been agreed on [4]. The treatment of stress urinary incontinence by a suburethral sling procedure may improve body image by reducing urinary leakage. Thus, a positive effect on sexual satisfaction could be expected. Conversely, sexual satisfaction may worsen by developing dyspareunia after the suburethral sling procedure [5]. In this