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Breast cancer treatment and sexual function
While the
literature led us to believe that the kind of breast cancer treatment
women received would differentially affect sexual function, the results
did not support this common opinion, perhaps because most women receive
more than one type of treatment. We
were surprised that women’s body image and depressed feelings only
affected desire, not women’s general sexual responsiveness or
satisfaction. It is clear
that sexual functioning is a multifaceted phenomenon. Sexual
health assessment should be a routine part of a diagnostic exam for every
breast cancer patient. Busy
practitioners could use paper and pencil tests to periodically assess
breast cancer patients and their partners about their relationship in
order to determine whether preventive measures are needed to help the
couples through this stressful experience of coping with cancer. To understand how to treat women’s concerns about their sexual life, the practitioner will need to know whether they are concerned about their lack of desire, inability to become lubricated and/or have orgasm, degree of sexual pain or general dissatisfaction with the sexual encounter or their partners. The main conclusion of the study emphasizes the importance of assessing the patients’ satisfaction with their relationship with their sexual partners.
Reference:
Justine J. Speer William Beaumont Research Institute, Royal Oak, Michigan |