Sexual dysfunction in Thai women with early-stage cervical cancer after radical hysterectomy

Abstract

We determined the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in women with early-stage cervical cancer who had undergone radical hysterectomy in three institutions of Thailand. An interview was conducted according to the structured questionnaire composing of seven domains of sexual function: frequency, desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and dyspareunia. From 105 women included in the study, mean age was 45.3 ± 7.8 years. Seventy-five (71.4%) were in premenopausal period. Eight out of 105 women (7.6%) never resumed their sexual intercourse after radical hysterectomy, 97 women resumed their sexual intercourse during 1–36 months postoperation (median, 4 months). Dyspareunia was increased in approximately 37% of women, while the other six domains of sexual function were decreased, ranging from approximately 40–60%. Of interest, only 10.5% of these cervical cancer women had some information of sexual function from medical or paramedical personnel, 17.1% obtained it from other laymen or public media, and 61.9% had never had it from any resources. Our conclusion is—sexual dysfunction is a common problem after cervical cancer treatment, but it has not been well aware of. These findings may necessitate health care providers to be more considerate on this problem.