Zachariou Athanasios, Sapouna Vagia, Giannakis Ioannis, Kaltsas Aris, Dimitriadis Prof. Fotios, Papatsoris Prof. Athanasios, Tsounapi Prof. Panagiota, Mamoulakis Prof. Charalampos, Takenaka Prof. Atsushi, Sofikitis Prof. Nikolaos

(112) PELVIC FLOOR MUSCLE TRAINING IMPROVES SEXUAL FUNCTION AND DIMINISHES SEXUAL DISTRESS IN WOMEN WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

  • Urology
  • Reproductive Medicine
  • Endocrinology
  • Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
  • Psychiatry and Mental health
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Abstract Objectives Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) contributes to better sexual function, as their strength and ability to properly contract improves vaginal receptivity and responsiveness, orgasm and sexual pleasure. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common chronic nervous system disorder leading to sexual dysfunction, with a prevalence of 40-70%. The primary outcome of this study was to evaluate the effect of PFMT on improving sexual function and sexual distress in women suffering from MS. Methods In this randomized controlled trial, 30 women suffering from MS were randomly included in an intervention Group A (12 weeks PFMT), and 30 women were randomly included in a control Group B (observation group; negative control group). All women were assessed with the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and Female Sexual Distress Scale-Revised (FSDS-R) at the study's beginning and end. Statistical analysis was performed using a Chi-square test. Results Differences in baseline sexual function and distress variables were not significant between groups A and B (P>0.05). At the end of the twelve-week period, there was a statistically significant improvement in nearly all domains of FSFI and FSDS-R in Group A compared with Group B. Women with PFMT (Group A) displayed higher statistically significant results (p<0.05) in desire (Group A: 3.54+0.18 vs Group B: 2.94+0.15), arousal (4.33+0.36 vs 3.92+0.47), orgasm (4.91+0.52 vs 3.93+0.29), satisfaction (5.01+0.56 vs 3.96+0.29), lubrication (4.81+0.36 vs 3.82+0.34), total FSFI score (27.14+1.17 vs 22.71+0.91) and FSDS-R score (7.35+4.51 vs 9.23+4.62). There was no statistically significant difference in the pain domain. Seven women in Group A and none of the women in Group B reported that their sexual difficulties were resolved at the end of the trial period. Conclusions Pelvic floor muscle training can enhance sexual function and diminish sexual distress in women with MS. Conflicts of Interest Conflict of interest: none

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