[Sexuality following spinal anesthesia. A retrospective study of young men (less than 55 years old]

A retrospective study was undertaken in order to determine whether the rumor that the use of spinal anesthesia in young men has a possible negative influence on sexual potency is justified or not. METHOD. Under the assumption that men up to the age of 55 years are generally sexually active, 1016 patients who were operated upon under spinal anesthesia (Ga. 22 and 25) during the last 5 years were requested to answer questions about their convalescence with emphasis on their pre- and postoperative sexual life. If they developed difficulties in this particular aspect, their opinion about the possible reasons was asked. RESULTS. Usable responses were obtained from almost 48% of the patients (Table 1). We excluded from the study those operations that could themselves have negatively influenced sexuality (Table 2). The patients belonged--as far as known--to ASA groups I-III (Fig. 2). Four-fifths of the patients had recovered completely 6 months after surgery (Fig. 4); their recovery was independent of the postoperative time interval (Table 1). Seventy-five percent were sexually active within 3 months after their operation (Fig. 6). There was no correlation between risk group and degree of recovery (Fig. 7, Tables 3 and 5). Nine of the preoperatively active patients did not have sex afterward, whereas 50% of the preoperatively inactive ones became active postoperatively (Tables 6 and 7). Four-fifths of the abstinent ones did not want sex or had no partner (Fig. 8). In no case was anesthesia mentioned as the cause of unwanted sexual abstinence (Fig. 9, Tables 3 and 4). Two patients who had resumed sexual activity but seemed dissatisfied with their sexual drive mentioned anesthesia as a possible cofactor in connection with surgery or psychological problems (Table 5). CONCLUSION. This is, as far as we know, the only study that has specifically investigated sexuality in relation to spinal anesthesia. The results show clearly that after uncomplicated, routine spinal anesthesia there is no negative influence on sexual potency. Nevertheless, should occasional difficulties with sexuality arise, spinal anesthesia does not have to be considered a primary causative factor.