Coital Incontinence in Women With Urinary Incontinence: An International Study

Coital urinary incontinence (CUI) is not much explored during clinical history, and this could lead to an underestimation of the problem.

To evaluate the prevalence and clinical risk factors of CUI in women with urinary incontinence (UI), and to measure the impact of CUI on women's sexuality and quality of life.

This was a multicenter international study, conducted in Italy, Greece, the United States, and Egypt. Inclusion criteria were: sexually active women with UI and in a stable relationship for at least 6 months. Exclusion criteria were: age <18 years and unstable relationship. The UI was classified as stress UI (SUI), urgency UI (UUI), and mixed UI (MUI). Women completed a questionnaire on demographics and medical history, in particular on UI and possible CUI and the timing of its occurrence, and the impact of CUI on quality and frequency of their sexual life.

To evaluate the CUI and its impact on sexual life we used the open questions on CUI as well as the International Consultation on Incontinence questionnaire and Patient Perception of Bladder Condition questionnaire.

In this study 1,041 women (age 52.4 ± 10.7 years) were included. In all, 53.8% of women had CUI: 8% at penetration, 35% during intercourse, 9% at orgasm, and 48% during a combination of these. Women with CUI at penetration had a higher prevalence of SUI, women with CUI during intercourse had higher prevalence of MUI with predominant SUI, and women with CUI at orgasm had higher prevalence of UUI and MUI with predominant UUI component. Previous hysterectomy was a risk factor for CUI during any phase, while cesarean delivery was a protective factor. Previous failed anti-UI surgery was a risk factor for CUI during penetration and intercourse, and body mass index >25 kg/m² was a risk factor for CUI at intercourse. According to International Consultation on Incontinence questionnaire scores, increased severity of UI positively correlated with CUI, and had a negative impact on the quality and frequency of sexual activity.

This study should encourage physicians to evaluate the CUI; in fact, it is an underestimated clinical problem, but with a negative impact on quality of life.

The strength of this study is the large number of women enrolled, while the limitation is its observational design.

CUI is a symptom that can affect sexual life and should be investigated during counseling in all patients who are referred to urogynecological centers. Illiano E, Mahfouz W, Giannitsas K, et al. Coital Incontinence in Women With Urinary Incontinence: An International Study. J Sex Med 2018;15:1456-1462.