Following treatment for ovarian cancer, approximately 50% of women will experience morbidity related to sexual health, such as vaginal dryness, dyspareunia, decreased arousal or orgasm, hot flashes, low libido, depression, anxiety and changes in self-image. These symptoms can be grouped together under the acronym SIMS – Sexuality, Intimacy, and Menopausal Symptoms.
Treatments to Consider
There are many reasons that treatment for ovarian surgery may negatively impact a women’s sexual health. These include a decrease in androgens with oophorectomy, which will also decrease estrogen levels. Chemotherapeutic agents may also impact hormone levels. Platinum-based therapies target dividing cells such as granulosa/theca cells which will reduce estrogen and androstenedione secretion. In addition, there are obvious psychosocial issues to consider, including potential changes to a woman’s relationship with her partner, who may also have legitimate concerns and questions.
Management of sexuality, intimacy, and menopause symptoms in patients with ovarian cancer
Take a post-test and get CME credits
Please log in to ObGFirst to access the 2T US Atlas
OBG Project CME requires a modern web browser (Internet Explorer 10+, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge). Certain educational activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of their content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be: Adobe Flash, Apple QuickTime, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft PowerPoint, Windows Media Player, or Real Networks Real One Player.
This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. The planners of this activity do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications.
The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of the planners. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.
Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information
presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patient’s conditions and possible contraindications and/or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.
Jointly provided by
