Prevalence and associated factors of sexual dysfunction in cervical cancer patients.

INTRODUCTION: Cervical cancer (CC), compared with other gynecological cancers, has critical implications for women's sexual lives. For most Asian people, the issue of sexual dysfunction (SD) is treated as a taboo especially in a conservative culture. As a result, little is known about the prevalence of SD among CC patients. AIMS: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of SD and associated factors among CC patients. METHODS: We used a cross-sectional correlation design with the purposive sampling to recruit 105 CC patients from a hospital in Northern Taiwan. A structured questionnaire was used in this study to collect demographic data, disease characteristics, and information provided by the Chinese version of the Female Sexual Function Index scale. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, independent t-test, chi-square test, and multiple logistic regression. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The prevalence of SD and the main predictors for SD were determined. RESULTS: The crude prevalence and age-standardized prevalence of SD were 66.67% and 55%, respectively. CC patients with a lower level of education (≤9th grade) (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 3.14; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.51-10.37), who were older (AOR: 1.16; 95% CI: 1.07-1.25), who had received no sexual-counseling services prior to therapy or later (AOR: 4.98; 95% CI: 2.31-9.71), or were stage II or above (AOR: 4.34; 95% CI: 1.65-19.09) showed a significantly higher risk of SD compared with those without these conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are beneficial to health-care providers by identifying the prevalence of SD and by pinpointing those groups with a higher predisposition of having SD, which will allow the provision of appropriate rehabilitation.

[Factors related to sexual dysfunction in patients with cervical cancer].

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer impacts upon the sex lives of its victims in ways that are more profound than other gynecological cancers. However, no research on sexual dysfunction issues in cervical cancer patients has previously been conducted in Taiwan. PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to explore sexual dysfunction and related factors in patients diagnosed with cervical cancer. METHODS: The study used a cross-sectional correlation design with a convenience sampling method to recruit 105 patients from a medical center in Northern Taiwan. The structured questionnaire used in this study gathered data on respondent demographics and disease characteristics, and included a Chinese version of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) scale. RESULTS: Respondents noted significant levels of pain triggered by cervical cancer. Lower level of education (below the 9th grade), increased age, lack of religious affiliation and absence of counseling prior to or during therapy were associated with significantly lower sexual dysfunction scores. These factors accounted for 54.60% of variance in sexual dysfunction. CONCLUSION: Our findings should assist healthcare providers to better understand sexual dysfunction in cervical cancer patients, detect those with higher predispositions toward such, and prescribe appropriate rehabilitation therapies to improve sexual enjoyment.