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Updated: Aug 21, 2026

Anogenital Distance and Perineal Measurements of the Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) Quantification System
Published on: September 20, 2018
Sexual function among women with urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse
Victoria L Handa1, Lynn Harvey, Geoffrey W Cundiff
1Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md, USA. vhanda1@jhmi.edu
Objective:
The objective of this research was to determine whether sexual complaints, such as dyspareunia, are associated with pelvic floor disorders.
Study Design:
We used data collected for the Maryland Women's Health Study. Among adult women scheduled for hysterectomy, we used multiple logistic regression analysis to identify characteristics associated with 4 sexual complaints: decreased libido, vaginal dryness, dyspareunia, and anorgasmia.
Results:
Among 1299 participants, 495 (38.1%) had evidence of pelvic floor disorders. Sexual complaints were significantly more common among women with pelvic floor disorders (53.2% vs 40.4%, P < .01). In the multiple regression model, urinary incontinence was significantly associated with low libido (odds ratio [OR] 1.96), vaginal dryness (OR 2.11), and dyspareunia (OR 2.04), independent of age, educational attainment, and race. In contrast, pelvic organ prolapse was not associated with any sexual complaint.
Conclusion:
In a cohort of women planning hysterectomy, women with urinary incontinence were significantly more likely to report sexual complaints.
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