Effects of Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercise on Sexual Function in Employed Middle-aged Women: A Pilot Study / 기본간호학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify effects of pelvic floor muscle exercise on sexual function and to present basic information on promoting sexual function for employed middle-aged women. METHOD: Data were collected from July to September, 2005 from a sample of 25 conveniently selected middle-aged working women from B city. For personal reasons, 10 dropped out, leaving 15 women who were treated with the exercise for 6 weeks. Outcome measures on sexual function were assessed by a self-report questionnaire based on the Female Sexual Function Index (Rosen et al, 2000 and translated by Kim, 2004). Cronbach alpha's for the two studies were .82 and .96 respectively and for this study, .81. Descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon signed rank test were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The mean score for sexual function was 21.42 (range 2-36). There were significant improvements in total sexual function, and 4 sub-scales of sexual function, sexual arousal, vaginal lubrication, orgasm, and coital pain. No significant improvements in sexual desire or sexual satisfaction were found. CONCLUSION: The small sample means findings must be interpreted with caution, but do suggest that pelvic floor muscle exercise could be an effective exercise for improvement of sexual function.