The sexual life of women with breast cancer: meanings attributed to the diagnosis and its impact on sexuality

Abstract

Breast cancer is the main neoplasm which affects women. It brings emotional problems in addition to physical and social problems due to affecting a bodily symbol of femininity. The aim of this study was to investigate the sexual life of women with breast cancer in the first year after the surgical procedure, seeking the meanings they attributed to the diagnosis and its repercussions on sexuality. Ten women who participated in a rehabilitation program were interviewed. In addition to the face to face interview their medical record were analyzed. Two categories emerged from the thematic analysis highlighting the negative and the positive impacts of this disease on the sexual life. This variety of meanings encountered shows that there no single pattern of sexual life after breast cancer. The way each woman reacts to the disease makes the way she experiences her sexuality unique. It follows that issues of sexuality must be incorporated in interventions offered in the context of care for these women.