Occurrence of sexual dysfunctions in mastectomized females with or without breast reconstruction

Abstract

Breast cancer ranks second as the most common in women. Surgery, the usual initial treatment of the disease, triggers important changes in the patient´s self-image and interferes in sexuality. Breast reconstruction usually improves life quality and has a positive psychological effect. It was developed a current transversal, observational qualitative research that comprised data collection at the Mastology Service of a hospital in the central region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, aiming to compare the prevalence of sexual dysfunctions in mastectomized females with or without breast reconstruction. The sample consisted of 28 females, aged between 36 and 73 years (53.77±10.77), of whom 17 did not undergo breast reconstruction (G1) and 11 had breast reconstruction (G2). The evaluation card adapted by Etienne & Waitman and Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) were applied. Descriptive statistics of the evaluated variables, coupled to the normality test of Shapiro-Wilk were undertaken; correlation test of Pearson and correlation test of Spearman were employed respectively for co-relationships of symmetrical and asymmetrical variables. G2 has sexual dysfunction in all domains, whereas G1, although with total score above cut-off point, reveals predictive rates for sexual dysfunction, except in the domain satisfaction. The latter, coupled to libido, showed statistically significant difference between the two groups.