Changes in Female Sexual Function After Vaginal Mesh Repair Versus Native Tissue Repair for Pelvic Organ Prolapse: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

To evaluate changes in female sexual function after transvaginal mesh (TVM) repair versus native tissue repair for pelvic organ prolapse.

Eligible studies, published through November 2017, were retrieved through searches of ClinicalTrials.gov, MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Review databases and associated bibliographies. We included randomized control trials of transvaginal prolapse surgery with either mesh repair or native tissue repair regarding the outcomes of sexual function, de novo and postoperative dyspareunia with a minimum of 3 months of follow-up.

Seventeen trials including 2,976 patients (1,488 with TVM repair and 1,488 with native tissue repair) were identified. There was no significant difference in postoperative dyspareunia after TVM repair versus native tissue repair (risk ratio [RR] = 1.07; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.76-1.50). Likewise, there was no significant difference in de novo dyspareunia after TVM repair versus native tissue repair (RR = 0.91; 95% CI = 0.52-1.61). There was also no significant difference in the short form Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire score after TVM mesh repair versus native tissue repair (mean difference = 0.26; 95% CI = -1.34 to 1.85).

Sexual function and de novo and postoperative dyspareunia were similar between the patients who underwent TVM repair and those who underwent native tissue repair. Liao S-C, Huang W-C, Su T-H, et al. Changes in Female Sexual Function After Vaginal Mesh Repair Versus Native Tissue Repair for Pelvic Organ Prolapse: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. J Sex Med 2019;16:633-639.