Tweets by PFD Week 2024

Rapid Fire Oral Presentations 03: Disparities, Office Practice & Special Populations

Sexual Function in Women with Bothersome Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms

Friday, October 25, 2024

4:57 PM – 5:00 PM EDT

Location: Independence Ballroom A-D (Meeting Level 4)

Associations between baseline LUTS Tool Score (per 10 points lower) and baseline PISQ-IR scores*

AUGS Abstract LURN female sex fx Table 2.docx

Objectives: Bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) can negatively affect quality of life in women, including sexual function. Our primary aim was to explore association between LUTS severity and sexual functioning among females with LUTS. Other aims included assessing patient demographic and clinical characteristics associated with sexual function and longitudinal changes in LUTS and sexual function.

Methods: Female participants enrolled in the Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN) observational cohort study with a frequency rating of at least “sometimes” and a bother rating of at least “somewhat” on at least one LUTS tool question. LUTS and sexual function were quantified by patient questionnaires at baseline, 3 months, and 12 months after study enrollment. LUTS were assessed via the LUTS Tool while sexual function was assessed using the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire, IUGA-Revised (PISQ-IR). Longitudinal analyses were restricted to females with completed baseline and 12-month (or 3-month, if missing) questionnaires. Baseline and longitudinal analyses were analyzed using linear regression.

Results: Female participants (n=528) were identified. At baseline, 245 participants were not sexually active (NSA), while 283 were sexually active (SA). Characteristics of the cohort are described in Table 1 (Baseline Characteristics of Cohort); compared to NSA, SA were younger (49 vs 63 years) and more likely to be married/civil union (67% vs 43%). Table 2 (Associations between baseline LUTS Tool Score (per 10 points lower) and baseline PISQ-IR scores) describes cross-sectional associations between baseline LUTS Tool Scores and baseline PISQ-IR scores. Less severe LUTS (10-points lower) was associated with higher (better) PISQ-IR summary and subscale scores (condition-specific, condition impact, global quality, and arousal/orgasm subscales) for SA participants. For NSA participants, less severe LUTS was associated with higher condition-specific and condition impact subscale scores. A subset of participants (n=406) had follow-up data at 12 months. Longitudinally, LUTS tools scores improved on average from baseline to 12 months by seven points while PISQ-IR scores generally remained stable. Similar associations (compared to those observed at baseline) between change in LUTS and sexual functioning were observed albeit with less precision.

Conclusions: In a large cohort of women with prospectively collected data on LUTS and sexual function, sexual function largely remained stable over time even as LUTS bother improved. Clinically significant change in sexual function was not noted in SA participants who demonstrated improvement in LUTS over time. Sexual function is complex, and the association between LUTS and sexual function needs further study.

Disclosure(s):

C. Emi Bretschneider, MD: No relevant disclosure to display

Catherine S. Bradley, MD, MSCE: No financial relationships to disclose

Caroline Smerdon, MPH: No financial relationships to disclose

Brian Bieber, MS, MPH: No financial relationships to disclose

Nathan Goodrich, MS: No financial relationships to disclose

H. Henry Lai, MD: No relevant disclosure to display

James A. Hokanson, PhD: No financial relationships to disclose

Anna C. Kirby, MD: No relevant disclosure to display

Abigail Smith, PhD: No financial relationships to disclose

Magaly Guerrero, BSc: No financial relationships to disclose

Sreya Gutta, B.S: No financial relationships to disclose

James Griffith, Psychologist: No financial relationships to disclose

Rapid Fire Presenter(s)

C. Emi Bretschneider, MD (she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor
Northwestern University
Chicago, Illinois, United States

Disclosure(s): No relevant disclosure to display

Co-Author(s)

Catherine S. Bradley, MD, MSCE (she/her/hers)

Professor
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa, United States

Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
CS

Caroline Smerdon, MPH (she/her/hers)

Research Analyst
Arbor Research Collaborative for Health
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
BB

Brian Bieber, MS, MPH

Senior Managing Analyst
Arbor Research Collaborative for Health
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
NG

Nathan Goodrich, MS (he/him/his)

Senior Research Analyst
Arbor Research Collaborative for Health
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
HL

H. Henry Lai, MD

Professor of Urology and Anesthesiology
Washington University School of Medicine
St Louis, Missouri, United States

Disclosure(s): No relevant disclosure to display
James A. Hokanson, PhD (he/him/his)

Assistant professor
Medical College of Wisconsin and Marquette University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States

Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
AK

Anna C. Kirby, MD (she/her/hers)

Clinical Associate Professor
UW Medicine
Seattle, Washington, United States

Disclosure(s): No relevant disclosure to display
AS

Abigail Smith, PhD (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor
Northwestern University
Chicago, Illinois, United States

Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
MG

Magaly Guerrero, BSc

Clinical Research Coordinator, Sr.
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina, United States

Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
SG

Sreya Gutta, B.S

Research Coordinator
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington, United States

Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
JG

James Griffith, Psychologist

Professor
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, United States

Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose