Improved sexual and urinary function in women with sacral nerve stimulation

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Sexual Medicine
• Neuromodulation

Background:

• Refractory overactive bladder (OAB) significantly impacts quality of life, affecting both urinary and sexual function.
• Sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) is an established treatment for OAB, with known benefits for urinary symptoms.
• The relationship between improved urinary function and concurrent sexual function changes after SNS remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of SNS on urinary and sexual function in patients with urge urinary incontinence.
• To determine if improvements in sexual function are associated with or independent of improvements in urinary function following SNS treatment.

Main Methods:

• Prospective data collection from patients undergoing SNS for urge urinary incontinence.
• Utilized validated voiding diaries and questionnaires to assess urinary and sexual function at baseline and follow-up.
• Included only sexually active patients at baseline and follow-up in the analysis.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements were observed in multiple metrics of both urinary and sexual function post-SNS.
• Patients reported less incontinence during sexual activity and reduced fear of leakage.
• While trends were noted, no statistically significant associations were found between the degree of urinary function improvement and sexual function enhancement.

Conclusions:

• Sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) effectively improves both urinary and sexual function in patients with OAB.
• The study did not find a significant association between improved urinary and sexual function, suggesting potential independence.
• Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings and elucidate the precise relationship.