Figuring out sex in a reconfigured body: experiences of female colorectal cancer survivors with ostomies.
Colorectal cancer survivors with ostomies can face complex concerns regarding sexuality. We used an anthropological perspective to examine the experiences of 30 female colorectal cancer survivors with ostomies to shed light on the sexual challenges and adaptations made in the wake of cancer surgery and treatment. Participants fell into four categories with regard to their sexual experience post surgery; however, not all women found their altered sexuality to be particularly problematic. This type of phenomenological examination can inform a more patient-centered, less biomedically focused paradigm for assessing and improving the sexual health of cancer survivors.
Ramirez
Michelle
M
Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19040, USA. m.ramirez@usp.edu
McMullen
Carmit
C
Grant
Marcia
M
Altschuler
Andrea
A
Hornbrook
Mark C
MC
Krouse
Robert S
RS
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001828:Body Image; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008875:Middle Aged; D010030:Ostomy / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D019529:Sexuality / Q000523:psychology*; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States