Room 519-A | Sexuality and Health Tuesday, July 12, 2005 Time: 2:30 PM-4:30 PM |
Sexual activities, desire and sensations in 227 paraplegic and tetraplegic men and women.
Mathieu, Catherine *,1, Courtois, Frédérique2, Noreau, Luc3, 1 Institut de réadaptation de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada2 Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada3 Institut de réadaptation en déficience physique de Québec, Québec, Québec, Canada
ABSTRACT- Introduction. As part of a general survey on aging in the spinal cord injured population, we investigated the quality of sexual life of 227 tetraplegic and paraplegic men and women. Results. The data showed that 60% of the participants were engaged in a stable relationship, which lasted for the most part (51.5%) for more than 3 years and which had begun either before (32%) or after (30%) the trauma. Of the total participants, 86% reported having desire, 60% having regular sexual relationships with a frequency varying from 2 to 3 times a week (19%), one a week (17%), once a month (15%) and less than once a month (19%). As far as sexual functioning is concerned, 49% of the participant reported having reflexogenic erection or lubrication, against 27% reporting psychogenic erection or lubrication, and 33% reported ejaculation or orgasm. In men, 30% relied on sexual medication, with 19% using Viagra, 3% to 6% using intracavernous injections and less than 3% reporting orgasm or physical signs associated with orgasm such as changes in heart rate (36%), respiration rate (29%), muscular contractions (27%), cutaneous (17%) and autonomic (13%) responses. Conclusion. Sexual life is therefore a reality amongst spinally injured men and women and sensations of pleasure and orgasm should be investigated more often, as our studies suggest that sexual rehabilitation with biofeedback combined with cognitive restructuring may be an interesting avenue in sex therapy for spinally injured patients.
Key words: sexual desire, sexual activities, sexual sensations, spinal cord injured men, spinal cord injured women