The Influence of Successful Apical Defect Repair in Laparoscopic Sacrocolpopexy on Quality of Sexual Life.

OBJECTIVE

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a common health problem that significantly impairs quality of life, particularly in terms of sex. Our study aimed to assess the quality of sexual life of women after successful POP repair with laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy (LSC).

METHODS

This prospective cohort study was aimed at assessing the influence of successful laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy on the quality of sexual life after the surgery. Pre- and postoperative examinations included the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POPQ) scale and validated quality-of-life questionnaires. PFDI-20 and PFIQ were used to choose patients who were satisfied with the results of the surgery. The quality of sexual life of sexually active and nonactive patients was subsequently evaluated via the PISQ-IR questionnaire. Post-surgery evaluation was planned 8-12 months after the procedure.

RESULTS

A total of 181 patients were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 58.2±9.6 years. Patients in the sexually active group were significantly younger (55.5±9.5) than were those in the nonactive group (63.4±7.7). Follow-up visits took place 10±2.34 months after surgery. We achieved statistically significant improvements in the PFDI-20 questionnaire, particularly in the POPDI-6 section, the PFIQ-7 questionnaire, and the POPQ scale. Among sexually active women, improvements in sexual function were observed across most domains, including global quality (p = 0.003), arousal and orgasm (p < 0.001), condition impact (CI, feelings of sexual inferiority, embarrassment, or anger during sexual activity, p < 0.001), and condition-specific (CS, feelings of fear or shame during sexual activity, p < 0.001). A notable finding was the significant reduction in dyspareunia, which decreased from 12.7% to 3.3%. The study also revealed that sexual inactivity was correlated with negative self-perception, which improved significantly following surgery (CS, p = 0.04; CI, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy improves the quality of sexual life and leads to a reduction in dyspareunia and distress related to POP symptoms.