Incontinence & Intimate Partners: Assessing the Contribution of Treatment

Chronic illness places emotional, physical, and financial burdens upon both the patient and her partner and can be a significant source of stress in a relationship. The symptoms of UUI inherently pose greater social challenges than those faced by women other forms of pelvic floor disorders. For example, women with UUI may avoid social situations due to fear of having an accident or may be reluctant to participate in activities during which it may be difficult to find a bathroom. The resulting social isolation impacts both members of the dyad and may serve as a source of relationship discord. Changes in sexual function and perceived intimacy, including non-intercourse intimacy, as well as communication may be new sources of stress in a previously healthy relationship or may serve to amplify pre-existing relationship problems.

Sexual function is another area in which UUI may cause a negative impact. Studies of coital incontinence among incontinent clinic populations report prevalence ranging from 10%-56% with a median of 22%. The prevalence of coital incontinence may be related to the type of incontinence as well as the severity of symptoms. Stress incontinence has been associated with leakage of urine during intercourse, while detrusor instability and urge incontinence have been correlated with leakage during orgasm. A cross-sectional study of women with UUI and urinary incontinence found that among women reporting low sexual desire, stress incontinence was common (47%), while 46% of women reporting orgasmic phase dysfunction reported symptoms of urge incontinence. Qualitative data corroborates the negative impact of UUI on dyadic and sexual relations.

Another mechanism by which UUI may affect satisfaction with dyadic relations is through depressive symptomatology. Urinary incontinence is associated with a decrease in overall health-related quality of life and is positively correlated with depression, anxiety, and stress. Studies of other chronic illnesses demonstrate a correlation between the patient's level of depression and that of their spouse; level of depression shows an inverse relationship with degree of satisfaction with the relationship.

One of the two studies in the published literature that use quantitative methods to evaluate the impact of urodynamic stress incontinence and detrusor overactivity on the marital relationship concluded that both sexual function and marital relationships are negatively affected by incontinence. This study, like others, is based upon the perspective of the female partner. A recent study of Swedish women with urinary incontinence and urgency is the only study which includes the perspective of the male partner to examine the impact of UUI on the relationship. It concludes that, "Female urinary incontinence, urgency and frequency significantly impair the quality of life in both younger and older women, and also have negative effects on the partner relationship and the partner's life".

The perspective of intimate partners of women with UUI and other forms of PFD is largely missing from the literature. Any analysis of the role of UUI in intimate partner relationships is incomplete without this perspective.