Re: The relationship between pelvic organ prolapse, genital body image, and sexual health.

AIMS Pelvic organ prolapse involves physical changes to the genitals, potentially distressing to women. We hypothesized poorer genital body image in prolapsed women versus controls and that genital body image would correlate with sexual health. METHODS Seventy-four sexually active women, 13 with prolapse, 24 with surgically corrected prolapse, 37 without prolapse, completed the Genital Self Image Scale (GSIS-20), Body Esteem Scale (BES), and Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). RESULTS In prolapsed women median GSIS-20 scores were 28/40, women with surgically corrected prolapse 32/40 and never prolapsed 34/40 (χ(2) = 9.6, P < 0.01). Post hoc analysis showed significant differences between prolapsed and never prolapsed groups (P < 0.05). After adjusting for BES, GSIS-20 correlated with overall FSFI (r = 0.384, P < 0.01), and its subscales of desire (r = 0.34, P < 0.05) and satisfaction (r = 0.41, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Women with prolapse are at risk for poorer genital body image and reduced sexual health.