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Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Nerve-sparing Mid-urethral Obstruction (NeMO) in Female Small Rodents
Published on: April 25, 2017
Neuromodulation and female sexual function: does treatment for refractory voiding symptoms have an added benefit?
Michael S Ingber1, Ibrahim A Ibrahim, Kim A Killinger
1Department of Urology, Ministrelli Program for Urology Research and Education (MPURE), William Beaumont Hospital, 3535 W. Thirteen Mile Rd Suite 438, Royal Oak, MI 48073, USA. IngberMD@aol.com
Introduction And Hypothesis:
Women undergoing InterStim implantation for overactive bladder (OAB) or painful bladder syndrome (PBS) were prospectively evaluated to determine if neuromodulation has any effect on female sexual function (FSF).
Methods:
Sexually active women in our InterStim database completed a female sexual function index (FSFI) preoperatively and at 6 months.
Results:
Of 105 women, 54 have 6-month follow-up data. Of these, 27 were sexually active preoperatively and at follow-up. The mean (standard deviation (SD)) FSFI improved from 18.7 (6.8) preoperatively to 21.0 (6.0) postoperatively; however, this was not statistically significant (p = 0.220). Subgroup analysis of patients with OAB revealed that mean (SD) FSFI preoperatively was 18.6 (8.0) and 22.4 (6.4) at 6 months (p = 0.257). In the PBS group, mean (SD) FSFI was 18.8 (6.3) preoperatively and 18.7 (5.8) at 6 months (p = 0.98).
Conclusions:
Neuromodulation does not significantly improve FSF in a heterogenous population. Additional studies are needed to confirm the findings in our study.
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