Female sexual function after surgery for stress urinary incontinence: Transobturator suburethral tape vs. tension-free vaginal tape obturator

Introduction. The transobturator suburethral tape (TOT) and tension-free vaginal tape obturator (TVT-O) procedures are relatively new incontinence treatment procedures. Studies on the influence on sexual function as a result of these procedures are limited. Aim. The influence of TOT or TVT-O for the surgical treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) on female sexual function. Methods. We evaluated 77 sexually active patients after TVT-O (N = 34, mean age 53.2 years) and TOT (OB-TAPE, Porges) (N = 44, mean age 52.0 years) placement for SUI based on the responses to a mailed questionnaire 3 months after the operation. Main Outcome Measure. Difference in postoperative sexual complaints related to the TVT-O (inside-out) and TOT (outside-in) procedure. Results. Postoperative TOT and TVT-O: There was almost no difference in frequency of sexual intercourse and an improvement of the continence during intercourse; continence was reported in 33 patients (42.3%) before and 67 patients (78.4%) after operation. The appreciation of sexual intercourse was improved in 15 patients (19.2%) and worsened in eight patients (10.3%). Postoperative TVT-O vs. TOT: No difference was seen in lost of lubrication, clitoral tumescence reduction, and clitoral sensibility reduction between both procedures. Pain because of vaginal narrowing, was seen significantly . more in the TOT procedure group. Conclusion. Overall, in this study, the technique of TOT gave rise to more sexual dysfunction than TVT-O. However, because of the successful outcome on incontinence, both procedures had, overall, a positive effect on sexual function. The cause of significant more pain during intercourse as a result of vaginal narrowing in the TOT procedure requires further investigation. Like other studies, this study demonstrated that incontinence surgery can have a positive and negative outcome on sexual function. It is important to put this issue in the informed consent.