Female sexual function and urinary incontinence in nulliparous athletes: An exploratory study

ObjectivesTo estimate the prevalence of Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD) and Urinary Incontinence (UI) symptom in nulliparous athletes and analyze the risk factors for these dysfunctions.DesignA cross-sectional study.SettingThe International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-UI-SF) and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) were applied to assess the UI and the FSD.Participants50 athletes with ≥18 years old.ResultsWe found a prevalence of 48% of UI and 44% of FSD among nulliparous athletes. The rate of athletes having concomitant FSD and UI was 24%. We found a significant difference between high and low impact sports in the ICIQ-UI-SF score (p = 0.028). Hours of training (p = 0.007; R² = 0.21) was found to be a risk factor for UI. Incontinent athletes demonstrated a Relative Risk of 2.7 to develop sexual desire problem when compared to the continents (p = 0.04; 95% CIs: 1.50–4.89).ConclusionsThis study found a high prevalence of both UI and FSD among nulliparous athletes. Furthermore, nulliparous athletes practicing high-impact modalities are the most susceptible to UI. The hours of training per day was considered a risk factor to develop UI, and incontinent athletes have more chances of showing difficulties in sexual desire.