J Korean Acad Womens Health Nurs.  2000 Jun;6(2):218-233.

Physical Discomforts and Sexual Life Pattern of Women with Hysterectomy

• Ahn YL
• Park YS

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to investigate the physical discomforts and sexual life pattern and to identify the relation between the physical discomforts and the satisfaction of sexual life in women with hysterectomy. The subject were 301 women who lived with their spouses from 3 months to 2 years after hysterectomy in S. University Hospital. The data were collected using a self-reported questionnaire by mail, which composed of 25 items of physical discomforts, restarting time and frequency of sexual intercourse, and 10 items of sexual satisfaction, The results were as follows: 1) The mean score of physical discomforts was 13.22 and range of score was 0-45. 1.7% of 301 women had no physical discomforts and 12.0% of them complained of severe physical discomforts such as fatigue, lumbago and pain of extremities. 2) The women with hysterectomy complained of fatigue(76.1%), lumbago(68.8%), pain of extremities(63.5%), weight gain(55.5%), vaginal dryness(50.8%) and symptom of estrogen deficiency such as perspiration (47.5%), flush(41.2%) and palpitation (38.5%). As unusual symptom, numbness of thigh (20.3%) and acne(16.3%) were identified. 3) There was no significant difference between the degree of physical discomforts and the laps of time after hysterectomy. But the score of physical discomforts was lower in women with vaginal hysterectomy than in women with abdominal hysterectomy. 4) The mean score of sexual satisfaction was 33.11 and range of score was 10-50. There was no significant difference between the degree of sexual satisfaction and the lapse of time after hysterectomy. 83.8% of women had not change of sexual life satisfaction after hysterectomy. The women restarted sexual intercourse in average 2.57 months after hysterectomy. 5) There was a negative correlation between the physical discomforts and the sexual satisfaction. In conclusion, nurses should make the discharge educational program of the physical discomforts and the sexual pattern for women with hysterectomy in hospital.

MeSH Terms

Coitus
Estrogens
Extremities
Fatigue
Female
Humans
Hypesthesia
Hysterectomy*
Hysterectomy, Vaginal
Low Back Pain
Postal Service
Surveys and Questionnaires
Spouses
Thigh
Estrogens