ISHA—Richard Villar Best Clinical Paper Award: Acetabular labral tears in sexually active women: an evaluation of patient satisfaction following hip arthroscopy

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of symptomatic labral tears on the sex lives of women and the effect of surgical intervention on hip symptoms during sexual intercourse. One hundred and twenty consecutive women who had undergone hip arthroscopy under a single surgeon at a tertiary referral centre were identified. A specific questionnaire was designed and sent to each of the patients. Data were collected on the nature of symptoms, if they experienced any hip pain during sexual intercourse and if this had impacted on their sex lives and the degree of resolution of hip symptoms after the procedure, on a scale of 1–10. One hundred and four responses were available. Ninety-two women reported that they were sexually active. Of these, 87 (94%) reported pain during intercourse affecting their sex life. Eight women reported hip pain for a few days following intercourse and four stated that they are often not able to continue on account of the pain. Mean patient satisfaction with a resolution of symptoms during intercourse was 7.8 out of the 10. Seventy-seven women reported a post-operative improvement in the hip symptoms experienced during sex. Labral tears do have a significant effect on the sex life of women. Hip arthroscopy to address the labral tear as well as any underlying pathology relieves the pain experienced by women during intercourse with, a resultant improvement in their sex lives.