Many women experience problems due to a weakened or damaged pelvic floor. These ailments are most common in pregnant women, women who have recently given birth, and menopausal women. However, pelvic floor disorders can affect all women.
Among other things, the pelvic floor plays a role in a woman’s sex life. Studies have shown that women with pelvic floor disorders are less sexually active than others.
The researchers affiliated with St. Olavs Hospital, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and the University Hospital of Northern Norway has conducted a study on this. Their results have been published in the Sexual Medicine journal.
The pelvic floor plays an important role in the ability to control the release of urine, faeces and flatus. It also supports internal organs such as the bowel, bladder and uterus. Different pelvic floor disorders can therefore result in a wide range of symptoms and effects in women.
Also Read: Know What is Sexual Dysfunction
‘We analyzed responses from 157 women with symptoms such as leakage of urine, flatus, faeces, or pelvic organ prolapsed,’ said Associate Professor Susan Saga at the Department of Public Health and Nursing at NTNU.
Of these, 111 (71 per cent) were sexually active, either with or without a partner. 46 (29 per cent) stated they were not sexually active. All the women responded anonymously to a questionnaire, and none of them was pregnant at the time of the study.
On average, the women who are not sexually active are around 8 to 10 years older than those who are sexually active. Approximately 4 out of 5 are menopausal, compared to only 1 out of 2 among the women who are sexually active. In addition, they are more likely to have experienced onset of symptoms during the past year.
The sexually inactive women report more severe pelvic floor disorders than the sexually active women do. This mainly involves pelvic organ prolapse, a condition where the uterus, bladder, or bowel slip down from their normal position and bulge into the vagina.
In general, women who have reached menopause or had onset of symptoms within the past year are four times more likely to be sexually inactive than women who have not yet reached menopause and whose symptoms began more than one year ago.
Pelvic floor disorders do not necessarily lead to avoidance of sexual contact, but they can have a significant impact on the individual’s sex life. Among the various pelvic floor disorders, colorectal-anal distress has the greatest impact on sexually active women.
Post Your Comments