Total hip arthroplasty (THA) may have a marked positive impact on sexual activity. However, it is unclear how important regaining sexual activity is for patients undergoing THA or whether surgeons are aware of such concerns. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the literature on the effect of THA on sexual activity before and after the procedure and to assess patient and surgeon perspectives.
A search of 4 electronic databases yielded 10 reports between 1970 and 2015. Nine evaluated the effects of THA on sexual activity in 1694 patients who had a mean age of 57 years (range 17-98 years). Two studies evaluated the perspective of 337 surgeons. Metrics evaluated included differences in patient and surgeon perspectives, improvements in sexual activity, and differences in outcomes between men and women.
Seventy-six percent of patients identified hip arthritis as the primary cause of sexual problems with pain and stiffness being the most common complaints. Post THA, 44% of patients reported improvements in sexual satisfaction while 27% reported increased intercourse frequency. Patients returned to sexual activity at a mean 4-month post-THA. Eighty-six percent of surgeons rarely or never discuss sexual activity with their patients, and 61% believed that patients can resume sexual activity 1-month post-THA with many agreeing that certain positions were safer.
The outcomes of this systematic review suggest that THA is associated with improved sexual activities and is an important topic for patients. However, surgeons may spend less time than is desired by the patients on this subject pre- and post-THA.