Prevalence of sexual dysfunction after breast cancer compared to controls, a study from CONSTANCES cohort

Purpose Sexuality, a substantial factor in quality of life, may be altered after breast cancer (BC) treatments as they intimately afflict femininity. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in women with a history of BC and to compare it with women without a BC history. Methods The French general epidemiological cohort CONSTANCES includes more than 200,000 adults. All inclusion questionnaires from CONSTANCES non-virgin adult female participants were analyzed. Women reporting a history of BC were compared to controls in univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis was performed to highlight any demographic risk factor for sexual dysfunction. Results Among the 2,680 participants who had a history of BC, 34% did not engage in sexual intercourse (SI) in the month preceding the completion of the questionnaire (n = 911), 34% had pain during SI (n = 901) and 30% were not satisfied with their sex life (n = 803). Sexual dysfunction was significantly more frequent in women who had a history of BC: they had less sexual interest (OR 1.79 [1.65;1.94], p