Purpose: To evaluate the impact of hysterectomy on the sexuality of women with uterine leiomyoma.
Methods: Prospective study including 33 sexually active women, with ages from 35 to 50 years old, with orgasmic experience and with a fit stable partner. All the women were submitted to two instruments for the evaluation or their sexuality: Sexual Quotient - Female Version (SQF) and Sexual Satisfaction Inventory - Female Version (SSIF). Both instruments were applied by the same examiner, before and six months after the hysterectomy.
Results: The SQF has shown that 39.4% of the patients presented deterioration in the sexual intercourse, even though there has not been found an association between the SQF results before and after hysterectomy (chi2= 0.6; degree of freedom=12; p=0.05). The mean scores obtained after the application of the SSIF have shown significant deterioration in the following parameters: sexual satisfaction (p=0.03); expression of feminine sensuality (p=0.01); vaginismus/dyspareunia (p=0.02) and an orgasmia (p=0.04).
Conclusions: It seems that hysterectomy has a negative impact on women's sexual life, with reports of decreased libido, arousal and orgasmic capacity.