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

중년 직장여성의 성기능에 미치는 골반저근운동의 효과: 예비연구

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.