Here is Southampton we are about to start enrolling patients in our study to look at the effect of arthritis and hip replacement surgery on sexual activity. It’s takne a while to get the study up and running but it will be the first study to compare the results with a validated score of sexual function. The information will help us  better to inform patients about the outcome of surgery, as well as helping surgeons to choose th most appropriate implant for a particular patient. I noticed in a medicla journal that a group in the US has presented some similar work which is summarized here:

“This study indicates that joint replacement can lead to tremendous improvement in the ability to have successful sex and an overall sense of well-being,” added Dr. McDevitt.

Dr. McDevitt advised that even though patients may be embarrassed to talk about sexual function after joint replacement, surgeons need to discuss this important issue with them and let them know that, after the healing period, sexual activity will be safe.”

I’m not sure what methods were used in this study, but it certainly underlines the fact that we need to understand more about the subject. Watch this space…..