The sexuality of Quebec women with cervical cancer: looking for love despite radiotherapy's trauma to their sexual body.

Abstract

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experience of sexuality of middle-aged Quebec women living with cervical cancer. Ten women accepted to take part in the study. The findings reveal a new outlook on sexuality, as these women refocus their positions on their lives, their conjugal relationships and the adverse effects of therapies. The participants expressed the will to combine feelings of love with sexual pleasures. They all felt the need to talk about the embarrassing and traumatizing effects of treatment on their sexuality. These findings raise the need for nurses to recognize these women's sexual concerns and to further research in this area.