Quality of life and sexual function in postmenopausal women with urinary incontinence Calidad de vida y función sexual en mujeres postmenopáusicas con incontinencia urinaria

Abstract

Introduction: Aging is a natural unavoidable process that is expressed through physical, psychological, emotional, and social changes, and that can produce undesirable events, such as Urinary Incontinence (UI). This condition increases with age, is more frequent in women, and can produce impairments in the quality of life, such as social isolation, fear, embarrassment, and self-postponement, among others. This research aimed at describing the quality of life and sexual function in postmenopausal women according to the UI classification through the application of specific questionnaires. Material and Method: This is a descriptive and cross-sectional study carried out between June and September, 2006. This study included 46 postmenopausal women aver 50 years old with clinical and urodynamic diagnosis of UI, active sexual life in the last 3 months. All the subjects answered the King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ) and Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Results: According to the UI classifi