The aim of this study was to clarify the conditions of sexuality and sexual perceptions in patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Patients at 15 self-help groups and 14 hospitals were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire. The questions’ basic attributes included sex, age, type of disease (Ulcerative Colitis (UC) or Crohn’s Disease (CD)), and presence of stoma. The questions also included conditions such as frequency of sexual activity, and sexuality satisfaction index “SEXSI-IBD (Sexuality Satisfaction Index for IBD),” and sexual perceptions. A total of 195 valid responses from IBD patients was obtained and subjected to analysis. With regard to the frequency of sexual activity in terms of the number of occasions of sexual intercourse, “approximately once or twice a month” was given as most frequent response, but overall, the largest number of responses indicated “no physical contact and no sexual intercourse” and “physical contact but no sexual intercourse.” In the results of the SEXSI-IBD, the highest score was for the “importance of skin ship,” and the lowest scores were for “sexual communication” and “sexual difficulty.” As concerns sexual perceptions, 60.0% of the responding patients said sick and disabled people can generally engage in sexual activity, but as opposed to this, only 7.7% said they were able to discuss matters related to sexual activity with a healthcare professional, and 29.7% of participants said they believed healthcare professionals can conduct consultations on matters related to sexual activity. The frequency of sexual intercourse among IBD patients in Japan is low, and it was clear that in terms of the degree of satisfaction of sexuality, these problems necessitate emphasizing the importance of skin ship and support for sexual communications. With the exception of healthcare professionals’ reluctance to discuss sex problems, it is desirable to recognize the actual conditions of sexuality among IBD patients, and provide specific forms of support
