Overactive bladder and its effects on sexual dysfunction among women

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relation between overactive bladder (OAB) and sexual dysfunction in sexually active nurses without stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. DESIGN: Prospective, observational study. SETTING: Tertiary care center. POPULATION: 200 nurses, under 49 years of age. METHOD: Data were obtained with Turkish language-validated questionnaires between January 2011 and June 2011. OAB was diagnosed using the Overactive Bladder Awareness Tool (OAB AT). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Scores on the Overactive Bladder Symptom and Health-related Quality of Life Questionnaire Short Form (OABq-SF), the Health-related Quality of Life Questionnaire Short Form (HRQOL), and the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire Short Form (PISQ-12). RESULTS: Of the 127 enrolled volunteers, 51 were diagnosed with OAB. The mean age of the participants was 37.8 ± 7.3 years. After controlling for age, body mass index, and parity, OAB did not significantly affect PISQ-12 scores, but significantly worsened OABq-SF scores. No strong correlation was noted between the parts of the OABq-SF and the domains of the PISQ-12. CONCLUSION: OAB is a common problem among sexually active young women and significantly affects their quality of life. However, OAB-related sexual dysfunction plays a limited role among sexually active nurses.