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Sexual functioning after ovarian cancer: are women receiving the information and support they need?

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Abstract

Ovarian cancer (OC) can significantly impact sexual functioning beyond initial treatment and into survivorship. However, research suggests that the information and advice women want on this topic may not be readily provided by health professionals (HPs). We explored the psychological and sexual wellbeing of a sample of Australian women diagnosed with OC, to inform the development of effective, targeted sexuality resources. This paper presents a subset of our findings. Participants were recruited nationwide via social media, print advertisement and the database of a support organisation, Ovarian Cancer Australia. Self-reported demographic and clinical survey data were collected including perceptions of the availability and adequacy of sexuality support post-OC. Participants (n = 98) were on average 52.8 years old and 5.5 years post-diagnosis. A minority (22%) reported that the impact of OC on their sexuality was discussed by HPs; and 46% were satisfied with that discussion. Approximately half (52%) had wanted to discuss sexuality concerns with a HP during treatment and 43% still felt the need for this discussion. Open-ended responses revealed the need for more information that was detailed and specified what to expect post-diagnosis. Shortcomings of HPs in addressing sexuality were also revealed. This research provides further evidence that sexual health remains inadequately addressed in OC care across the trajectory for the majority of women, and is an area of unmet need.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request and subject to approval from the hospital’s research ethics committee.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge consumer Nadia Addabbo, who provided input on the study materials.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Women’s Mental Health Service, Royal Women’s Hospital, Locked Bag 300, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia

    Lesley Stafford & Ruth Little

  2. Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia

    Lesley Stafford, Elizabeth Knoetze & Victoria Wilson

  3. Ovarian Cancer Australia, Melbourne, Australia

    Hayley Russell

Authors
  1. Lesley Stafford
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  2. Hayley Russell
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  3. Elizabeth Knoetze
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  4. Victoria Wilson
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  5. Ruth Little
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Contributions

LS conceived the study; LS, HR, EK and VW designed the study. Data were collected by EK and VW and analysed by LS. Manuscript was drafted by RL and LS, and reviewed and approved by all authors.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lesley Stafford.

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Ethics approval

Ethics approval was received from the Royal Women’s Hospital Ethics Committee (project #19/22).

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Data were anonymous, with no personal data (e.g. names, addresses, date of birth) collected.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Stafford, L., Russell, H., Knoetze, E. et al. Sexual functioning after ovarian cancer: are women receiving the information and support they need?. Support Care Cancer 30, 4583–4586 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-021-06733-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-021-06733-5

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