Management of Sexual Problems in Breast Cancer Survivors

	Tweet

According to Basson (2006), the management of sexual desire and arousal disorders in women includes psychological and pharmacologic interventions.

Psychological Interventions

There are a number of different psychological interventions that may be helpful for breast cancer survivors with sexual desire and arousal disorders.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is used to identify and modify factors contributing to sexual dysfunction. Such factors may include maladaptive thoughts, unreasonable expectations, and insufficient nongenital physical stimulation. These sessions vary in number and usually include both partners in order to work on strategies to improve the couple’s emotional closeness and communication and to improve erotic stimulation (Basson, 2006).

Sexual therapy is similar to cognitive behavioral therapy but includes sensate focus techniques that are used to change the focus from a performance goal-that is, orgasm-to giving pleasure through touch. Although one study reported that women treated with a combination of behavioral and sexual therapy had improved sexual and marital satisfaction (Trudel et al., 2001), there are few data on the efficacy of such interventions among breast cancer survivors.

Short-term psychotherapy could be utilized to explore poor sexual selfimage and nonsexual experiences in childhood that could affect current sexual function. There are, however, few data to support the benefit of this therapy (Heiman, 2002).

If the breast cancer survivor with sexual dysfunction is known or thought to have a mood disorder such as depression or anxiety, we engage our colleagues in the Department of Psychiatry to ensure that the disorder is appropriately managed. They review the woman’s medications to ensure that they are not contributing to sexual dysfunction. A small, short-term study of bupropion (Wellbutrin) in nondepressed, premenopausal women found an increase in arousability and sexual response but not in initial desire (Segraves et al., 2004).

RELATED STORIES:
HRT After Diagnosis and Treatment of Breast Cancer   Future Hope for Patients with Breast Cancers Resistant to Tamoxifen   Surgery for Pure DCIS   Breast hematoma   Uterine or Vaginal Prolapse   Uterine or Ovarian Enlargement in patients with breast cancer   Role of High-Dose Chemotherapy for High-Risk Breast Cancer   Radiation Treatment Side Effects   Radiation Sensitivity and Breast Cancer Screening   Nipple Discharge   Ethnic Status and Mutation Prevalence - Hereditary Breast Cancer   The surgical management of breast cancer   HRT for Management of Menopause   Epithelial Hyperplasia   Breast Imaging   Sexuality and Breast Cancer Survivorship - Key Practice Points   Follow-Up Care   Prevention Strategies for Women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 Mutations   Fat Necrosis   Obesity and Breast Cancer   Alternative Interventions for Management of Menopause   Assessment of Risk and Choice of Adjuvant Therapy

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]