Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Aug 2;22(1):326.
doi: 10.1186/s12905-022-01906-8.

Changes and challenges in sexual life experienced by the husbands of women with breast cancer: a qualitative study

Maryam Maleki  1 , Abbas Mardani  2   3 , Mansour Ghafourifard  4 , Mojtaba Vaismoradi  5
Affiliations

Changes and challenges in sexual life experienced by the husbands of women with breast cancer: a qualitative study

Maryam Maleki et al. BMC Womens Health. .

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer (BC) in women can bring various problems to their marital and family life. Sexual life based on the experiences of the husbands of women diagnosed with BC has not been fully understood. Therefore, this research aimed to explore changes and challenges in sexual life experienced by the husbands of women diagnosed with BC.

Methods: A qualitative research was carried out on 18 men whose wives had been diagnosed with BC at reproductive age. They were selected using purposeful sampling and were interviewed using in-depth semi-structured interviews. Collected data were analyzed using the conventional content analysis method.

Results: 'Sexual life suspension' was the main theme of this research. Also, 'unfulfilled sexual expectations', 'perceived barriers to satisfy sexual expectations', and 'efforts to adapt to sexual problems' were subthemes.

Conclusions: The husbands of women with BC need support to improve their sexual and marital relationships. Education and counseling about sexual life during the treatment of BC should be incorporated into the healthcare program.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Husband; Marital life; Men; Quality of care; Sexual dysfunction; Sexual life.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Themes, subthemes and key codes developed in this research
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Siegel RL, Miller KD, Jemal A. Cancer statistics, 2019. CA Cancer J Clin. 2019;69:7–34. doi: 10.3322/caac.21387. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bray F, Ferlay J, Soerjomataram I, Siegel RL, Torre LA, Jemal A. Global cancer statistics 2018: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J Clin. 2018;68:394–424. doi: 10.3322/caac.21492. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Heidarirad F, Yarahmadi M, Heidarirad H, Shafeie M. Evaluation of prevalence of depression and its related factors among women with breast cancer referred to the Radiotherapy Center of Tawhid Hospital of Sanandaj, Iran in 2017. Sci J Nurs Midwifer Paramed Fac. 2018;4:39–49.
    1. Vostakolaei FA, Broeders MJ, Mousavi SM, Kiemeney LA, Verbeek AL. The effect of demographic and lifestyle changes on the burden of breast cancer in Iranian women: a projection to 2030. Breast. 2013;22:277–281. doi: 10.1016/j.breast.2012.07.002. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Isfahani P, Hossieni Zare SM, Shamsaii M. The prevalence of depression in iranian women with breast cancer: a meta-analysis. Horizon Med Sci. 2020;26:170–181. doi: 10.32598/hms.26.2.3207.1. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types