Purpose Therapeutic interventions lead to impaired sexual health in women undergoing breast cancer treatment. There are some problem such as vaginal dryness, decreased libido, decreased sexual satisfaction, and decreased frequency of sexual intercourse among breast cancer survivors. This study was conducted to discover the sexual experiences of women undergoing breast cancer treatment. Methods A total of 39 semi-structured interviews were held with the women undergoing breast cancer treatment, husbands, and health care providers. Recorded interviews were transcribed and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results Three categories of cultural and gender taboos, adherence to subjective norms, and hidden values in sexuality were revealed. The cultural and gender taboos category consisted of subcategories of learned sexual shame, fear of judgment, sexual schemas, and gender stereotypes. The adherence to subjective norms category consisted of subcategories of sexual socialization, being labeled as a disabled woman and the priority of being alive to sexuality. The hidden values in sexuality category consist of subcategories of Task-based sexuality, Tamkin, and Sexuality prevents infidelity. Conclusions Socio-cultural beliefs affect the sexual health of women undergoing breast cancer treatment, so paying attention to this issue can improve the quality of sexual health services.
Introduction Little is known about the impact of the coronavirus on sexual behavior, function, and satisfaction. Aim The aim of the present study was to systematically review people’s sexual function and behaviors and their changes in sexual activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Comprehensive searches in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were conducted with keywords in accordance with MeSH terms: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, coronavirus, sexual health, sexual function, sexual dysfunctions, sexuality, sexual orientation, sexual activities, and premarital sex. Two reviewers independently assessed full-text articles according to predefined criteria: original design, English studies, and investigating either the general population or sexual minorities. Results Risk of bias in the studies was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, and data were pooled via random effects meta-analyses. We utilized the standardized mean difference to evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on sexual activity, functioning, and satisfaction. We included 19 studies in the analysis and 11 studies in the meta-analysis, with a sample size of 12 350. To investigate sexual activity changes, a sample size of 8838 was entered into the subgroup analysis, which showed a significant decrease in both genders (5821 women, P < .033; 3017 men, P < .008). A subgroup meta-analysis showed that the sexual function of men and women during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly declined (3974 women, P < .001; 1427 men, P < .001). Sexual desire and arousal decreased in both genders, though mainly in women. In investigating sexual satisfaction changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, a meta-analysis with a sample size of 2711 showed a significant decrease (P < .001). The most indicative changes in sexual behaviors during the pandemic were the increase in masturbating and usage of sex toys. Greater COVID-19 knowledge was associated with lower masturbation, oral sex, and vaginal sex. The more protective behaviors were associated with less hugging, kissing, cuddling, genital touching, watching porn with a partner, and vaginal sex. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic led to increased challenges and changes for individuals’ sexual behaviors. Efforts for preventive strategies should therefore be concentrated between pandemics, while ensuring that there is information available to the population during a pandemic for help in times of psychological distress or crisis.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.