Introduction

Surgical therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is amongst the most common urological procedures. While most patients are expected to resume sexual activity postoperatively, data pertaining to the required time of abstinence is lacking.

Methods

Following IRB approval, we prospectively enrolled sexually active men referred for BPH surgery in a questionnaire-based study. Patients were asked to complete an IPSS, IIEF and the sexual part of the EPIC questionnaires (assessing BPH severity, erectile and sexual function) a month before and after their surgery. Upon discharge, patients were advised to resume sexual activity whenever they desired without indicating a specific period of abstinence. _x000D_ To study urologists' perspectives in this context, we approached board certified urologists, asking them to complete a short questionnaire assessing their current practice and recommendations. _x000D_

Results

Of the 71 participating patients, roughly half underwent endoscopic surgery (Table 1). Over 80% of patients were older than 60 and over 90% were married. The postoperative IPSS improved significantly, while no difference was detected in the IIEF and EPIC scores. Almost all patients (94%) patients reported on resuming sexual activity less than a month postoperatively and more than 40% within 2 weeks. Two thirds reported on retrograde ejaculation and 11 % reported on mild bleeding. Although more than 20% experienced some pain during orgasm, only 10% decided to refrain temporarily from further sexual activity. _x000D_ Overall, 70 urologists completed the questionnaire (table 2). More than 94% worked at academic centers, most had more than 10 years experience, and over 50% indicated performing at least 60 surgeries yearly. More than 50% would recommend abstaining from any sexual activity for at least 1 month postoperatively._x000D_

Conclusions

While most urologists recommend refraining from sexual activity for at least one month following BPH surgery, our study suggests that over 94% of patients may resume sexual activity shortly after surgery, expecting minimal adverse side effects.

Funding

None