Body image and sexual function improve following prolapse repair.

Area of Science:

• Urogynecology
• Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery
• Body Image Research

Background:

• Body image perceptions significantly influence treatment satisfaction and sexual function following pelvic organ prolapse (POP) surgery.
• Understanding the impact of POP surgical repair on body image is crucial for optimizing patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe changes in body image after surgical repair of vaginal vault prolapse.
• To evaluate the correlation between changes in sexual function and body image post-surgery.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of a randomized trial comparing transvaginal native tissue repair (NTR), abdominal Sacrocolpopexy (SC), and transvaginal mesh (TVM) for vaginal vault prolapse.
• Body image assessed using the Body Image in Pelvic Organ Prolapse (BIPOP) questionnaire and sexual function using the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire (PISQ-IR) longitudinally.
• General mixed models used for longitudinal analysis of body image and sexual function changes, and to predict sexual function based on body image.

Main Results:

• 335 women included; all surgical groups showed sustained improvements in body image from 6 to 36 months post-surgery.
• Improvements in body image (BIPOP scores) and sexual function (PISQ-IR scores) were significantly correlated (p<0.001) in sexually active women.
• No significant differences in body image improvement were observed between the NTR, SC, and TVM surgical approaches.

Conclusions:

• Surgical repair of vaginal vault prolapse leads to significant improvements in body image, irrespective of the surgical technique.
• Positive correlations exist between enhanced body image and improved sexual function among sexually active women undergoing POP repair.