Sexual adjustment in ileostomy patients before and after conversion to continent ileostomy

Questionnaires were sent to 48 ileostomy patients to evaluate the effects on sexual life of an ileostomate before and after conversion to a continent ileostomy. Forty-two patients (88 per cent) returned their questionnaires. Ninety-eight per cent of the patients had sometimes felt embarrassed, uncertain or inhibited by the conventional stoma, whereas only 24 per cent had these reactions after conversion to a continent ileostomy. About 80 per cent of the patients thought that the conventional ileostomy disturbed their sexual life because of the risk of leakage, odor, noise or such inhibitory influence to the continent ileostomy. Four men (31 per cent) and 15 women (52 per cent) reported that their sexual activity was reduced or absent when they had their conventional ileostomy. After conversion to a continent ileostomy all but one man and one woman considered their sexual activity to be normal. One-third of the patients claimed that the partner was embarrassed by the conventional ileostomy, but no partner admitted a negative reaction towards the continent ileostomy. Conversion to a continent ileostomy improved the quality of sexual life in about 85 per cent of both men and women.