Sexual health in CPPS

There are a lot of sexual problems associated with CPPS, which is one cause why Freudians have had a field day with CPPS (and other urogenital disorders). Careful anamnesis will show that sexual problems evolve slowly over many years in CPPS sufferers. And it is when those interfere too much in normal life that they are brought to the doctor’s attention. Due to this there is an obvious possibility of many a CPPS sufferer consulting a psychiatrist (or "sexologists") rather than a urologist.

Problems are those mentioned below and also: penis / glans pain / discomfort (not associated with urination); penile numbness / insensitivity to "friction" (obviously more noticeable in non-circumcised men); and, discoloration (bluish-whitish-pinkish mottled hue) of glans.

Sufferers have less sexual interest and erectile function(1-2). This is hardly surprising and a well described and known fact as it is both part of the pathology and of sickness behavior (the bodily reactions to pain, illness and infection which cause androgen down-regulation, impaired spermatogenesis, depression etc). The only interesting fact in the study by Aubin et al. (one of many on the subject) is the usage of an adapted form of the BSFQ (brief sexual functioning questionnaire), that, while highly subjective, is useful indicating CPPS sexual symptom severity. About 36% of the CPPS subjects had never had epi- or post-coital pain. 51% occasionally and 13 often or always. The rest of the study was pretty oxymoronic, such as proving that age and disease activity was significant for pain, sexual function and satisfaction… duh! (apologies for this rant).

In a german study of chronic pelvic pain (LUTS) about 30-40% up to 40 years old were affected of loss of libido and erectile dysfunction, and about 50-65% between 40 and 60 years, compared to about 5.5% and 9% respectively in controls. Above 60 years of age the differences vaned. The study also showed that premature ejaculation (defined as before or at the beginning of intercourse or without erection), was noticeably more common in all age groups. 4-10 times more common than in controls.(3)

Marital relations are normal, except in a few cases where it may precipitate a separation (4) (most likely do the mood swings affect an already compromised relationship).

Andra bloggar om CPPS, kroniskt bäckenbottensmärtsyndrom, kronisk abakteriell prostatit, sexuell hälsa
__________________________________
(1) Aubin S, Berger RE, Heiman JR, Ciol MA. The association between sexual function, pain and psychological adaption of men diagnosed with CPPS type III. J Sex Med 5:657-667, 2008.
(2) Davis SNP,Binik YM, Carrier S. Sexual dysfunction and pelvic pain in men: a male sexual pain disorder?. J Sex Marit Ther 35(3):182-205, 2009.
(3) Beutel ME, Weidner W, Brähler E. Der chronishe Beckenschmerz und seine Komorbidität. Der Urologe [A] 43:261-267, 2004. [Chronic pelvic pain and its comorbidity. In german.]
(4) Mehik A, Hellström P, Sarpola A, Lukkarinen O, Järvelin MR. Fears, sexual disturbances and personality features in men with prostatitis: a population-based cross-sectional study in Finland. BJU Int 88(1):35-38, 2001.