title: Psychosocial problems of women with stress urinary incontinence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was evaluation of the influence of stress urinary incontinence on women's quality of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study covered 275 women between 30-65 years of age. The study was conducted using the following tools: Gaudenz Questionnaire, King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ), Female Sexual Function Index (FIFI) Questionnaire, and a questionnaire devised by the authors of the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study shows that the disease has a negative effect on evaluation of the quality of thee women's lives. The symptoms of stress urinary incontinence had a significant influence on the feeling of emotional comfort, social and professional activity of the surveyed women - respectively p= 0.000; p=0.000; p=0.000. Nearly every third woman (28.7%) felt great mental discomfort related to the disease symptoms, 31.7% a considerable discomfort, 33.1% a moderate, and very few women (6.5 %) claimed that the disease had a minimal effect on their emotional state. About two-thirds of the surveyed women (68.7%) were sexually active, and the remaining 31.3% declared the lack of sexual intercourse.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The occurrence of stress urinary incontinence symptoms affects the quality of life of women, especially their mental state and interpersonal contacts. Most women with the symptoms of stress urinary incontinence fulfill their sexual needs; however, many of them do not feel complete satisfaction with their sex life.
authors.affiliation: Independent Practical Obstetric Skills Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Grażyna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stadnicka
authors.affiliation: Chair and Department of Gynaecology and Gynaecological Endocrinology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Celina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Łepecka-Klusek
authors.affiliation: Chair and Department of Gynaecology and Gynaecological Endocrinology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pilewska-Kozak
authors.affiliation: First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical Centre for Postgraduate Education, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jakiel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011044:Poland; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014550:Urinary Incontinence, Stress / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*