An examination of sexual dysfunction in a cohort of women cancer survivors

Sexual dysfunction (i.e. sexual side effects) related to cancer and cancer treatment is a common challenge for women in survivorship. Most research has focused on women with a history of reproductive cancers, leaving sexual side effects among survivors of non-reproductive cancers understudied. Using data from a cancer survivor needs assessment, we sought to better understand the prevalence of sexual side effects among women cancer survivors. We summarized the prevalence of sexual side effects among women with a history of reproductive and non-reproductive cancers. Among the 335 women who completed the survey, about half (49.8%) had a history of reproductive cancers and the other 50.2% had a history of non-reproductive cancers. Survivors in both groups reported the presence of sexual dysfunction at the same rate of 19%, with 86% of those women attributing the effects to their cancer or treatment. However, only 15% of those with sexual dysfunction sought treatment. Women survivors who reported sexual dysfunction had a lower quality of overall health, mental health, and quality of life compared to the women who did not have sexual side effects. Our findings support the need for developing approaches to manage sexual side effects in survivorship regardless of cancer type.