1.Sexuality and Quality of Life after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.
Hong Ghi LEE ; Eun Young PARK ; Hyun Mee KIM ; Kihyun KIM ; Won Seog KIM ; Sung Soo YOON ; Won Ki KANG ; Keun Chil PARK ; Chan Hyung PARK
The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine 2002;17(1):19-23
BACKGROUND: The quality of sexuality is significantly affected by physical changes following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and the dissatisfied and/or dysfunctional sexuality may cause deterioration in the quality of life (QOL). METHODS: With two models of questionnaires, we interviewed thirty-eight patients who remained in the disease-free status after HSCT and had sex partners, to assess: 1) the changes in sexuality, 2) QOL in physical, psychological, social and spiritual domains and 3) the correlation between sexuality and QOL. RESULTS: The common physical changes that may affect sexuality in women were secondary amenorrhea (69.2%), loss of sexual interest (53.8%), diminished vaginal secretion (50%), menopausal syndrome (34.6%), dyspareunia (30.8%) and failure to orgasm (23.1%), while men complained of impotence (41.7%) and difficulty in ejaculation (16.7%). For sexuality, satisfaction of sexual activity, attainment of orgasm and frequency of intercourse decreased significantly after HSCT as compared with the pre-transplant levels. A score measuring QOL after HSCT marked 5.91 on a full score of 10; social domain ranked the lowest (5.01) while physical domain the highest (6.70). Among the items of sexuality, only sexual desire was significantly correlated with QOL; satisfaction, orgasm and frequency were not significantly correlated with QOL. CONCLUSION: Although sexuality is affected by the physical changes following HSCT, we should not overlook the psychological and social effects on the sexuality of post-transplant patients. Therefore, educational and counseling programs are very important to restore and improve their sexuality.
Adult
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Female
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Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/*adverse effects/psychology
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Human
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Male
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Middle Age
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Quality of Life
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Questionnaires
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Sex Disorders/*etiology
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*Sexuality