Effect of Vibrator Use on Symptoms of Urgency Urinary Incontinence, Sexual Function, and Sleep (BLISS)

April 29, 2026 updated by: Albany Medical College
This study aims to understand if using a vibrator affects urgency related urinary incontinence. Insights from this study may open new recommendations for treating urinary urgency and incontinence.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This is a randomized superiority trial designed to evaluate the efficacy of scheduled vibrator use as an adjunct to standard lifestyle and behavioral modifications for urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) or urgency-predominant mixed urinary incontinence (MUI). UUI is defined as involuntary urine leakage preceded by a sudden, compelling urge to void. This will be identified and confirmed by patient report and screening with urgency-related items on the Urogenital Distress Inventory-6 (UDI-6), with participants required to report urgency-related leakage at least once per week.

Eligible participants will be recruited from the Albany Medical Center Urogynecology clinic during routine outpatient visits. After informed consent and baseline assessment, participants will be randomized 1:1 to either (1) lifestyle and bladder training counseling alone (control arm) or (2) lifestyle and bladder training counseling plus scheduled vibrator use (intervention arm). Participants in the intervention group will be instructed to use a provided FDA-registered Class II wellness vibrator for 5-10 minutes at least three times per week over an eight-week period, while all participants will receive standardized bladder retraining education materials. The primary outcome measure will be change in UDI-6 score, Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), and Brief Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (B-PSQI) from baseline to eight weeks. Secondary outcomes will include validated assessments of quality of life and distress, including the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire (PISQ-12), Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I), Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4).

The study will be conducted at Albany Medical Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Urogynecology and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery, following approval by the Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
116

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Vinita Gottipati, MD
  • Phone Number: 518-262-5013
  • Email: gottipv@amc.edu

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Assigned female at birth.
  • Age ≥18 years.
  • Able to read and speak English.
  • Diagnosis of urgency urinary incontinence or mixed urinary incontinence (based on clinical assessment and UDI-6 urgency questions).
  • Leaks urine at least once per week due to urgency.
  • Postvoid residual volume <100 mL or a third of the voided volume

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pelvic organ prolapse beyond the hymen
  • Neurogenic bladder, multiple sclerosis, or other neurologic causes of incontinence.
  • Recurrent urinary tract infection (>3 UTIs in the past year or >2 in the past 6 months).
  • Active urinary tract infection at the time of enrollment.
  • Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome.
  • Current use of sacral neuromodulation or percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS).
  • Bladder Botox injection within the past 6 months.
  • Vibrator use within the past 3 months.
  • Patients uncomfortable with vibrator use
  • Pregnancy or plans for pregnancy during the study period.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Lifestyle and behavioral modifications
Behavioral: Behavioral modification
Guideline based standard lifestyle and behavioral modifications for urgency urinary incontinence
Experimental: Scheduled vibrator use
Standard behavioral modifications and vibrator use
Behavioral: Behavioral modification
Guideline based standard lifestyle and behavioral modifications for urgency urinary incontinence
Device: Vibrator
Scheduled vibrator use

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in score on UDI-6 from baseline to follow-up in 8 weeks.
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Submitted
12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI)
Time Frame: 12 weeks
The Female Sexual Function Index is a 19-item questionnaire assessing domains of sexual function including desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. Scores range from 2 to 36, with higher scores indicating better sexual function and lower likelihood of dysfunction.
12 weeks
Brief Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (B-PSQI)
Time Frame: 12 weeks
The Brief Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index is a shortened version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index that evaluates sleep quality and disturbances over a recent time period. Scores typically range from 0 to 15 (depending on version), with higher scores indicating worse sleep quality.
12 weeks
Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire, IUGA-Revised (PISQ-IR)
Time Frame: 12 weeks
The PISQ-IR assesses sexual function in women with pelvic floor disorders and includes separate scoring for sexually active and non-sexually active individuals. Scores vary by domain, but are generally transformed to a 0-100 scale, with higher scores indicating better sexual function and condition-specific quality of life.
12 weeks
Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I)
Time Frame: 12 weeks
The Patient Global Impression of Improvement is a single-item scale that asks patients to rate their condition after treatment compared to baseline. It ranges from 1 (very much better) to 7 (very much worse), with lower scores indicating better outcomes/improvement.
12 weeks
Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4)
Time Frame: 12 weeks
The Patient Health Questionnaire-4 is an ultra-brief screening tool combining 2 items for anxiety and 2 for depression. Scores range from 0 to 12, with higher scores indicating greater psychological distress.
12 weeks
International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF)
Time Frame: 12 weeks
The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form evaluates the frequency, severity, and impact of urinary incontinence on quality of life. Scores range from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms and worse quality of life impact.
12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Albany Medical College

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 31, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 30, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 21, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 29, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
May 6, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 6, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 29, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 7438

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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