Sexual function in perimenopausal women with urinary incontinence treated by pelvic floor exercise

Background: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a widespread disorder which occurs in all ages, cultures and ethnic groups and has a multifactorial nature. This study aimed to determine sexual function and its related factors in perimenopausal women with UI treated by pelvic floor exercise (PFE). Methods: This is a cross-sectional and multicenter study on 183 married participants with confirmed UI treated by PFE in Tehran, Iran. All married women more than 40 years old with confirmed UI treated by PFE for eight weeks entered to the study by convenience sampling method. Data collection tool included demographic information, the Questionnaire for UI Diagnosis (QUID), Incontinence Severity Index (ISI), the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire (PISQ-12), and the Broom selfefficacy scale. Statistical analysis was performed by univariate and multivariate linear regressions Results: The mean of sexual function was 23.82±3.28 in women. Aging (β coefficient:-0.14; 95%CI: 0.02, -0.26; p=0.018), retirement of husband (95%CI: -0.03, -2.64; p=0.044), being underweight (95%CI:-2.29, -6.38; p<0.001), having the history of abortion (0.51; 95%CI: 0.03, 0.99; p=0.036), and having high self-efficacy in doing PFE (95%CI: 2.11, 5.10; p<0.001) were effective factors on sexual function. Conclusions: In this study, modifiable factors were retirement of husband, being underweight, having the history of abortion, and having self-efficacy in performing PFE which can be controlled and the only nonmodifiable factor was aging.

Keywords:

Urinary incontinence , exercise therapy , sex behavior , risk factors , sexual function