ArticleColorectal disease : the official journal of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland2021
'Let's talk about sex': a patient-led survey on sexual function after colorectal and pelvic floor surgery.
Article in Colorectal disease : the official journal of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- A Systematic Review of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Epidemiology and Health Outcomes in Sexual and Gender Minority Individuals.Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association · 2023Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Epidemiology and Health Outcomes in Sexual and Gender Minority Individuals.Gastroenterology · 2023Pooled it
- Sexuality in Adult Cancer Patients Living with Enterostomy or Urostomy: A Descriptive Phenomenological Study.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2026Article
- The Impact of Beauty Perception on Sexual Quality of Life in Women with Stoma: A Cross-Sectional Study.Archives of sexual behavior · 2026Article
- Sexuality and Intimacy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Phenomenological Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Sexual Health and STI Counseling Is Critical but Often Overlooked in IBD.Digestive diseases and sciences · 2026Article
- Optimising response assessment to neoadjuvant therapy in rectal cancer to reduce the incidence of ypT0N0 resection.International journal of colorectal disease · 2026Article
- Social and psychological effects of a stoma on the sexuality and self-image of patients.International journal of colorectal disease · 2026Article
- Health Maintenance and Unique Health Needs of the Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Woman with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.Digestive diseases and sciences · 2025Review
- 'And don't say everything will be normal!': An international cross-sectional survey on the patients' unmet sexual wellbeing needs after ostomy formation.Colorectal disease : the official journal of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland · 2025Article
- What do colorectal specialists think about female participation in anal intercourse? An online survey of UK coloproctologists.Techniques in coloproctology · 2025Article
- Experiences of anorectal surgery among gay and bisexual men: a mixed methods study.ANZ journal of surgery · 2025Article
- Sexual health in cancer care: a narrative review and position statement from the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM).ESMO open · 2025Review
- Pleasurable and problematic receptive anal intercourse and diseases of the colon, rectum and anus.Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2024Review
- Patient and Public Involvement in Research: Lessons for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.Journal of Crohn's & colitis · 2023Review
- The sexuality experience of stoma patients: a meta-ethnography of qualitative research.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Quality of Life With a Hernia-A Novel Patient Led Study.Journal of abdominal wall surgery : JAWS · 2023Article
- Psychometric Evaluation of the Postoperative Recovery Profile.Nursing research and practice · 2023Article
- Patients' related sexual outcomes in colorectal surgery.Frontiers in oncology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
aimDiscussions regarding sex after colorectal and pelvic floor surgery are often overlooked by clinicians. This is the first patient designed and delivered study to explore sexual function and practices after colorectal surgery. The aim was to explore the questions about sex that matter to patients and their partners following colorectal or pelvic floor surgery through a patient and public involvement survey. The results of this work will underpin the creation of a sex patient reported outcome measure.
methodsAn anonymous online survey tool (Survey Monkey™) was disseminated via social media (Twitter, Facebook). Thematic analysis was applied to 130 free text comments posted by participants to identify key themes.
resultsSome 632 individuals completed the survey. Most respondents were women (80% n = 507), 49.5% (n = 312) were married and 14% (n = 87) identified as LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender +). Indications for surgery varied: 34% were treated for ulcerative colitis (n = 214); 31% Crohn's (n = 196); 17% (n = 109) cancer; and 17% (n = 110) for perianal fistula. For patients who had a stoma formed (85%, n = 540), over half (51%, n = 324) lived with their stoma for 1-5 years. Respondents reported substantial alterations to their preferences for sexual positions, sexual activity and body confidence following surgery. Most respondents indicated that they were not offered advice about sex by a healthcare professional.
conclusionsThe survey showed a substantial impact on the mechanics of sex following colorectal surgery. Few patients were offered preoperative information regarding sex, which has implications for informed consent. This study demonstrates a clear unmet need, voiced by patients, that open dialogue is necessary preoperatively to discuss sexual (dys)function.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.