The male marital satisfaction following treatment for lower urinary tract symptoms

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of treatment on marital state and satisfaction in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). The study consisted of 213 patients with LUTS, of whom 114 patients underwent alpha-blockers treatment and 99 underwent transurethral resection of the prostate. All patients were assessed on their marital state and satisfaction at baseline, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months, regardless of medical or surgical treatment. Using the Golombok-Rust Inventory of Marital State (Rust, Bennum, Crowe, & Golombok, 1998), we interviewed the patients. Before treatment, there was a high level of marital dissatisfaction because of prostatic symptoms, which caused increased levels of discomfort in most patients. There was significant improvement in most patients after the 12-month follow up. We determined that LUTS has a significant impact on patients’ quality of life and spousal relationships.