Reliability of the Polish Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire (PISQ-12) and Assessment of Sexual Function before and after Pelvic Organ Prolapse Reconstructive Surgery—A Prospective Study

Abstract

It is estimated that 31–44% of all patients with symptomatic POP and/or UI suffer from sexual dysfunction. We aimed to validate the PISQ-12 in pre-and postmenopausal women and to assess the sexual function before and after POP reconstructive surgery. One hundred and forty sexually active patients were hospitalized due to symptomatic POP and 50 healthy controls were enrolled into the study. The patients were asked to complete PISQ-12, the FSFI and Beck’s depression scale questionnaires twice. The Cronbach’s alpha (α) was used to estimate the internal consistency. The scores were compared using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). Improvement in the QoSL (quality of sexual life) was observed in each age group of women. Pre-menopausal patients’ QoSL was much better, both before and after surgery (29.62 and 34.64 points, respectively). The correlation between questionnaires before surgery was 0.63, and after was −0.76. The α value for the PISQ-12 was 0.83 before the procedure and 0.80 afterwards. In all the groups, the test–retest reliability was good—ICC = 0.72. Vaginal reconstructive surgeries improve the QoSL. The only demographic factor influencing the QoSL was the menopausal status. The Polish version of the PISQ-12 is a reliable and responsive instrument for assessing the sexual function in patients with diagnosed POP and/or UI.

Quality of Life in Women Before and After Surgical Treatment of Genital Prolapse

“…In women of premenopausal age, the quality of sexual life increased by almost 5 points (from 29.62 to 34.64). The PISQ-12 version better reflected sexual function in patients before and after surgery in women with GP [8] According to Chilean researchers Bascur-Castillo S. et al (2021) pelvic floor dysfunction is important for women's sexual health. In particular, in Chile, 78% of women have a GP problem.…”

“…У жінок пременопаузального віку якість сексуального життя підвищилася майже на 5 пунктів (з 29,62 до 34,64). Bерсія PISQ-12 краще відображала сексуальну функцію у пацієнток до та після операції у жінок з ГП [8] За даними чилійських дослідників Bascur-Castillo С. et al (2021) дисфункція тазового дна має велике значення для жіночого сексуального здоров'я. Зокрема, в Чилі 78% жінок мають проблему ГП.…”