{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,20]],"date-time":"2026-03-20T13:40:33Z","timestamp":1774014033273,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,20]],"date-time":"2026-03-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1773964800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Chronic diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), influence patients\u2019 sexuality. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the sexual functioning (SF) of patients with IBD. Methods: We perform a prospective survey study on male and female individuals with IBD using an anonymous questionnaire including 60 inquiries concerning patients\u2019 intimate relationships and SF. The following statistical tests were used: chi-square test of independence, Spearman\u2019s rank correlation coefficient, and Wilcoxon and Mann\u2013Whitney U tests. A significance level of p = 0.05 was assumed as statistically significant. Results: There were 110 respondents with IBD (41% with Crohn\u2019s disease and 57% with ulcerative colitis): 52 women (47%) and 58 men (53%), with a mean age of between 31 and 40 (45%). In 34% of respondents, the assessment of satisfaction with sex after diagnosis decreased, and the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.007). Statistically significant correlations were found between IBD clinical activity and the impact of the disease on sexual desire (p &lt; 0.001), the need for sex after diagnosis (p &lt; 0.001), satisfaction with sex after diagnosis (p = 0.003), the average frequency of intercourse (p = 0.004), the average duration of intercourse after diagnosis (p = 0.001), feeling guilty in the sexual sphere due to the disease (p = 0.006), assessment of one\u2019s attractiveness since diagnosis (p = 0.032), and change in the partner\u2019s erotic perception after diagnosis (p &lt; 0.001). The more aggressive the course of the disease, the more negative the impact on patients\u2019 sexuality. Conclusions: The diagnosis of IBD has a negative impact on patients\u2019 SF\u2014disease flare leads to a decrease in sexual needs, worse experiences and negative body image.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm15062379","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,20]],"date-time":"2026-03-20T09:44:41Z","timestamp":1773999881000},"page":"2379","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Sexual Functioning of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Marta","family":"Kotkowicz-Szczur","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Feeding Disorders and Paediatrics, The Children\u2019s Memorial Health Institute, 04-730 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lidia","family":"Kisielewska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The Centre of Oncology, 15-027 Bialystok, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rafal","family":"Kisielewski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The Centre of Oncology, 15-027 Bialystok, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maciej","family":"Kierzkiewicz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Mi\u0119dzyleski Specialist Hospital, 04-749 Warsaw, Poland"},{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Collegium Medicum, Cardinal Stefan Wyszy\u0144ski University, 01-938 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2272-1581","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jaroslaw","family":"Kierkus","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Feeding Disorders and Paediatrics, The Children\u2019s Memorial Health Institute, 04-730 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Edyta","family":"Szymanska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Feeding Disorders and Paediatrics, The Children\u2019s Memorial Health Institute, 04-730 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1785","DOI":"10.1053\/j.gastro.2011.01.055","article-title":"Epidemiology and natural history of inflammatory bowel diseases","volume":"140","author":"Cosnes","year":"2011","journal-title":"Gastroenterology"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"742","DOI":"10.1093\/ibd\/izx100","article-title":"Quality of life in inflammatory Bowel disease: A systematic review and meta-analyses\u2014Part i","volume":"24","author":"Knowles","year":"2018","journal-title":"Inflamm. 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