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Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Anogenital Distance and Perineal Measurements of the Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) Quantification System
Published on: September 20, 2018
Symptoms of anal incontinence and impact on sexual function
Minita Patel1, David M O'Sullivan, Adam C Steinberg
1Division of Urogynecology, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, Connecticut, USA. mpatel@harthosp.org
Objective:
To evaluate whether symptoms of anal incontinence (AI) have an impact on sexual function in a cohort of women with pelvic floor disorders and/or incontinence.
Study Design:
We analyzed a cohort of women presenting to an academic urogynecology practice. The control group consisted of those who answered "no" to questions 9-11 on the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory. The AI group consisted of those selecting "yes" to at least 1 of these questions. Student t test was used to compare differences between groups for the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire (PISQ-12).
Results:
The control group had a significantly lower mean score on the PISQ-12 than the AI group. There was no difference in PISQ-12 scores when controlling for stage of prolapse.
Conclusion:
Symptoms of AI were not associated with worse sexualfunction as measured by the PISQ-12.
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