Risk factors of postoperative sexual function in patients with urethral diverticulum and their partners: A cohort study of 83 women

ABSTRACT Introduction and Objective: Several studies have focused on the treatment and recurrence of urethral diverticulum (UD). However, few investigations have addressed sexual function in patients with UD. Therefore, we sought to examine sexual function in women affected by UD. Materials and Methods: There were 108 accepted cases involving transvaginal diverticulectomy at our institution. Ultimately, 83 women were included for further analysis, only 61 of these women had sexual partners. We collected data for the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) from the female patients and the Male Sexual Health Questionnaire (MSHQ) from their male partners before and after surgery. Results: Preoperatively, the UD size affected the female patient's arousal and lubrication (p=0.04), and the UD location affected their satisfaction. However, no significant between-group differences were found in the total FSFI score. For all women, sexual activity improved after surgery (p=0.0087). In addition to improvements in arousal for women with a large UD, improvements in lubrication were affected by the UD size, number and shape, increases in satisfaction scores were impacted by the UD location and shape, and pain relief was linked to the UD number and shape. Analysis of the MSHQ results revealed no between-group differences among the male partners. Conclusion: Only the UD size and location affected sexual function in women with a small UD. Surgery could improve female sexual function but did not affect the sexual function of the patient's partners.