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Artigos Originais
Reproductive and sexual history of women treated of breast cancer
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2013;35(2):78-83
02-07-2013
Summary
Artigos OriginaisReproductive and sexual history of women treated of breast cancer
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2013;35(2):78-83
02-07-2013DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032013000200007
Views100See morePURPOSE: To understand the reproductive and sexual life of women treated for breast cancer. METHODS: A total of 139 women with a diagnosis made at least 6 months ago were interviewed after being randomly selected in a rehabilitation service. The interviews were carried out between 2006 and 2010. The inclusion criteria were: to have used a rehabilitation service between 2006 and 2010, to be a Unified Health System user, to have been a patient at a regional hospital and to be resident in the area of DRS XIII-Ribeirão Preto, state of São Paulo. The interviewees were visited at home where a face to face questionnaire regarding sociodemographic features and questions about the disease and reproductive and sexual life was administered. For the last one, the Female Sexual Function Index instrument was used. Data were analyzed statistically by the χ² test, Fisher exact test, Student's t test, multivariate analysis by logistic regression, factorial analysis and the Cronbach's alpha. RESULTS: Most patients had between 2 to 3 children and 80% used some contraceptive. About half of them had had sexual intercourse in the last month, 45.3% had interrupted sexual intercourse during treatment and 25.9% did not. There were reports of decreasing sexual activity, although half of the interviewees had re-started sexual life during the first six months after treatment. About half presented sexual dissatisfaction. An active sexual life is associated with being younger than 40 years of age and to have a partner. No association was found between active sexual life and diagnosis and types of treatment. CONCLUSION: Sexual activity of women treated for breast cancer is not associated with the treatments, but with age and with the opportunity of having sex.
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Artigos Originais
Sexual function and quality of life of low-risk pregnant women
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2012;34(9):409-413
11-26-2012
Summary
Artigos OriginaisSexual function and quality of life of low-risk pregnant women
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2012;34(9):409-413
11-26-2012DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032012000900004
Views125See morePURPOSE: To evaluate, in healthy women in the second trimester of pregnancy, a possible association between sexual function and quality of life, and between sexual function and sexual satisfaction. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 51 pregnant women managed at a low-risk antenatal care clinic. Sexual function was evaluated through the Sexual Quotient - Female Version (QS-F) questionnaire. Quality of life and sexual satisfaction were evaluated though the brief version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-bref). Inclusion criteria were pregnancy between 15-26 weeks, maternal age 20 or more years, at least five years of scholling, in a relationship with a single partner for the last 6 months, having sexual intercourse with vaginal penetration in the last 15 days. We excluded women with a history of sexual violence, previous or current depression, habitual abortion or obstetric complications in the index pregnancy (premature rupture of membranes, preterm labor or hemorrhage). The χ² and Fisher exact tests were used for statistical analyses and p<0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Most of the participants (64.8%) obtained "regular to excellent" grades on the QS-F and 58.8% classified their quality of life as "good". As to sexual satisfaction, 35.3 and 15.7% declared that they were "satisfied" and "very satisfied" with their sexual life, respectively. The study detected significant associations between "bad to poor" QS-F grades with a "poor" quality of life (p=0.002), and with "regular to good" and "good to excellent" QS-F grades with "satisfaction" or "high" sexual satisfaction" (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Sexual function is associated with quality of life and with sexual satisfaction in healthy women in the second trimester of pregnancy.
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Artigos Originais
Influence of menopausal symptoms on sexual function in middle-aged women
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2012;34(7):329-334
08-28-2012
Summary
Artigos OriginaisInfluence of menopausal symptoms on sexual function in middle-aged women
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2012;34(7):329-334
08-28-2012DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032012000700007
Views102See morePURPOSE: To evaluate the influence of climacteric symptoms on the sexual function in middle-aged women. METHODS: A cross-sectional population study was conducted on a sample of 370 middle-aged women, aged 40 to 65 years-old, cared for at the Basic Health Units in Natal, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. We used a questionnaire containing questions on sociodemographic, clinical, and behavioral characteristics. Sexual function was evaluated by the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), while the menopause symptoms by the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS). RESULTS: In the studied group, 67% of the women reported risk for sexual dysfunction (FSFI≤26.5). All FSFI domains (desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain) were lower in women with risk for sexual dysfunction (p<0.001). The arousal, orgasm, and pain domains were most likely to contribute to lower FSFI scores. All somatovegetative, urogenital, and psychological MRS symptoms were more elevated in women with risk for sexual dysfunction, being significant for all comparisons (p<0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the likelihood of women with risks of sexual dysfunction to present hot flushes, depression, sexual problems, and vaginal dryness was, respectively, 2.1 (95%CI 1.2 - 3.5); 2.4 (95%CI 1.5 - 4.1); 2.3 (95%CI 1.4 - 3.8), and 2.2 (95%CI 1.3 - 3.6) times higher, respectively, compared to those without any risk. CONCLUSION: Climacteric symptoms seem to influence the sexual function in middle-aged women.
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Artigos Originais
Pregnancy and Gestational Diabetes: a prejudicial combination to female sexual function?
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2011;33(5):219-224
08-15-2011
Summary
Artigos OriginaisPregnancy and Gestational Diabetes: a prejudicial combination to female sexual function?
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2011;33(5):219-224
08-15-2011DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032011000500003
Views114See moreTo compare the sexual function of healthy adult pregnant women with that of gestational diabetes patients (GDM) in the third trimester. METHODS: This cross-sectional study enrolled two groups of women managed antenatal care clinics. Inclusion criteria were: maternal age .20 years, gestational age at least 28 weeks, being in a heterosexual relationship with the same partner for at least 6 months, and being able to read. We excluded women with a medical recommendation for sexual abstinence due to clinical or obstetric disorders; hypertension controlled through medications; pregnancy resulting from rape; absent or sexually unavailable partner in the last month; hospital admission in the last month; use of vaginal creams in the last 30 days; multiple pregnancy, regular use of alcohol or illicit drugs or use of medications that can interfere with sexual function. Eighty-seven patients fulfilled the selection criteria and were included in the study. The Sexual Quotient . Feminine Version (QS-F) questionnaire was used to assess sexual function. Student's t and X² tests were used to compare differences between groups and p<0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: The mean gestational age of the participants was 34 weeks. There were no significant differences in the mean QS-F scores between groups (62.5 healthy vs 62.8 GDM women, p=0.9). Approximately half the participants (47 and 47.5% of the healthy and GDM women, respectively, p=0.9) had total scores up to 60, indicative of dysfunction in one of the assessed domains (desire, sexual satisfaction, arousal, orgasm, dyspareunia and vaginismus). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of sexual dysfunction was high among women in the third trimester of pregnancy and did not differ significantly between healthy women and women with GDM.
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Artigos Originais
Sexuality evaluation in women submitted to hysterectomy for the treatment of uterine leiomyoma
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2009;31(10):503-507
11-19-2009
Summary
Artigos OriginaisSexuality evaluation in women submitted to hysterectomy for the treatment of uterine leiomyoma
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2009;31(10):503-507
11-19-2009DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032009001000006
Views113See morePURPOSE: to evaluate the impact of hysterectomy on the sexuality of women with uterine leiomyoma. METHODS: prospective study including 33 sexually active women, with ages from 35 to 50 years old, with orgasmic experience and with a fit stable partner. All the women were submitted to two instruments for the evaluation or their sexuality: Sexual Quotient - Female Version (SQF) and Sexual Satisfaction Inventory - Female Version (SSIF). Both instruments were applied by the same examiner, before and six months after the hysterectomy. RESULTS: the SQF has shown that 39.4% of the patients presented deterioration in the sexual intercourse, even though there has not been found an association between the SQF results before and after hysterectomy (χ2= 0.6; degree of freedom=12; p=0.05). The mean scores obtained after the application of the SSIF have shown significant deterioration in the following parameters: sexual satisfaction (p=0.03); expression of feminine sensuality (p=0.01); vaginismus/dyspareunia (p=0.02) and anorgasmia (p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: it seems that hysterectomy has a negative impact on women's sexual life, with reports of decreased libido, arousal and orgasmic capacity.
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Artigos Originais
Validation of a questionnaire to evaluate the female sexual function in postmenopausal women
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2009;31(6):293-299
08-13-2009
Summary
Artigos OriginaisValidation of a questionnaire to evaluate the female sexual function in postmenopausal women
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2009;31(6):293-299
08-13-2009DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032009000600005
Views69PURPOSE: to generate and validate a proper questionnaire to evaluate the sexual function in post-menopause women. METHODS: 251 women, within 2 to 15 years postmenopause, were included in the study. Questionnaire's reproductibility/reliability was evaluated by Pearson, intraclass and Lin's correlation coefficients. The internal consistance was examined by the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Classical item theory guidelines were used for face, content and construct validation. RESULTS: an instrument with 57 items and nine domains was generated. Fourteen questions (24.5%) were eliminated by either poor correlation with the scale or low discriminative power. The final version with 43 items has shown good reproductibility (r=0.719, 95%CI=0.690-0.750; pc=0.887; 95%CI=0.850-0.930; p<0.001). Internal consistance was also adequate (α=0.951). About 60% of the reviewers have confirmed face and content validation. The construct validation was assessed by the Cronbach alpha 0.951. CONCLUSIONS: it was concluded that the new instrument is appropriate for evaluating the sexual function in post-menopause women.
Key-words ClimactericPostmenopauseQuestionnaireSexual behaviorSexualityValidation studiesWomen's healthSee more -
Artigos Originais
Quality of life and sexuality of women treated for breast cancer
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2009;31(2):61-67
04-22-2009
Summary
Artigos OriginaisQuality of life and sexuality of women treated for breast cancer
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2009;31(2):61-67
04-22-2009DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032009000200003
Views49See morePURPOSE: to evaluate the quality of life and sexuality features of women with breast cancer, according to the type of surgery they underwent and their sociodemographic characteristics. METHODS: transversal study with 110 women treated for breast cancer, for at least one year in the Centro de Atenção Integral à Saúde da Mulher of UNICAMP. The quality of life was assessed by the WHOQOL-bref questionnaire, and the issues on sexuality, by a specific questionnaire in which Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was used to validate the concordance of responses (alpha=0.72) and the technique of factor analysis, with the criterion of self value and variance maximum rotation, resulting in two components: intrinsic or intimacy ( how the woman sees herself sexually) and extrinsic or attractiveness (how the woman believes the others see her sexually). Sociodemographic variables have been assessed according to the WHO questionnaire, and the sexuality components, through the Kruskal-Wallis followed by the Mann-Whitney's test and Spearman correlation test. RESULTS: age, schooling, type of surgery and lapse of time from the surgery did not influence the quality of life concerning physical, environmental, and psychological aspects, as well as the social relationships. Women with a stable marital relationship got higher scores in the psychological area (p=0.04) and in the area of social relationships (p=0.02). Higher socioeconomic level influenced the quality of life concerning physical appearance (p=0.01) and environment (p=0.002). Regarding the sexuality, age had influence in the extrinsic component (p=0.0158). Women with a stable marital relationship had higher scores of quality of life in both components of sexuality. Higher schooling influenced in a positive way the intrinsic factor. Women submitted to quadrantectomy or mastectomy with immediate breast reconstruction showed higher scores relating to attractiveness in comparison to mastectomized women without reconstruction. CONCLUSIONS: better socioeconomic level and better schooling, stable marital relationship and surgery with breast conservation are linked to better rates of quality of life, including sexuality.
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Artigo de Revisão
The assessment and management of female sexual dysfunction
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2008;30(6):312-321
09-05-2008
Summary
Artigo de RevisãoThe assessment and management of female sexual dysfunction
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2008;30(6):312-321
09-05-2008DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032008000600008
Views85See moreSexual dysfunction prevalence is high among women. However, doctors rarely ask about their patients' sexual life, because they feel uncomfortable or because their knowledge about investigation techniques is insufficient. The PLISSIT model, a useful tool to access human sexual function, is composed by four elements: permission, limited information, specific suggestions, and intensive therapy, that favor dialogue between the doctor and the patient allowing the access to the sexual complaints. The therapeutics consists of counseling measures, drug prescription, basic orientations about sexual function and interventions on anatomic and functional aspects of the sexual apparatus with positive impact in the woman's sexual life. The present review shows how to use it. In addition, many aspects of female sexual dysfunction are discussed, such as prevalence, diagnostic and treatment options for female sexual dysfunction.