The urethral syndrome: Sexual components

Summary

It is our suggestion that concomitant medical, sexual, and psychological evaluation and treatment be undertaken for patients with urethral syndrome refractory to traditional medical management. Although this approach may seem ponderous, it could well prove to be cost effective when compared with multiple inpatient and outpatient courses of ineffective and potentially toxic antimicrobial therapy. Multiple painful medical procedures such as cystoscopy and urethral dilation may only succeed in reinforcing the conditioned vaginal muscle contraction and in aggravating the common vaginismus component of the problem.