A woman who is going through or has overcome breast cancer faces a series of changes that impact in addition to her physical appearance, her confidence, her self-confidence and the ability to accept that her body has changed, situations that undoubtedly should work to boost your self-esteem.
Consequently, one of the aspects that breast cancer affects is sexuality, in particular, Dr. Ana María Fidalgo Zapata, an obstetrician-gynecologist with a subspecialty in breast surgery and mastology at the Imbanaco Grupo Quirónsalud Clinic tells us : “Basically the changes that a woman can experience in the acute phase are: decreased libido, vaginal dryness, changes in mood, decreased sexual desire and all the sequelae associated with treatment, including a lot of fatigue and this can lead to to not make you want to be intimate with your partner. If the patient is a breast cancer survivor and has not had reconstructive surgery, there are many changes in self-image, she may feel fear when she looks in the mirror or in terms of her sexuality because she feels sorry for her body or does not feel good about it. her image ”adds, in addition, our specialist, who is essential in the treatment, to address all these aspects in a comprehensive way, so that these patients can regain their self-confidence, incorporating all the transformations they have undergone.
The role of the couple is fundamental in this whole process, providing their support in all phases: when they are facing the reality of the disease and during treatment, providing them with security, emphasizing that these changes are transitory and that later the consequences They can improve, but above all by understanding all these emotions and helping them overcome them, also as advised by Dr. Fidalgo “the couple should be like their shadow, accompany at all times and consult with the experts to find out very well about it, to that they know how to handle all these aspects and find the best way to live their sexuality ”.
When the patient or survivor of breast cancer is a woman who does not have a stable partner, it is when more work should be done on self-esteem and seek support in the family circle, as stated by our specialist “in a single woman who does not have The most important partner is acceptance, because this is a long, exhausting, hard process, but what you should think is that it may be something transitory and that later on you will have many options to rebuild your life “
Experts advise reinforcing the spiritual aspect to balance all the emotions that can be overwhelming, to find the strength that leads them to face the whole process, to achieve self-acceptance and live the changes in the best way. Dr. Ana María Fidalgo concludes: “it is important to always consult suitable personnel and always deal with it with multidisciplinary management in order to be able to address the situation in a comprehensive manner. What I tell my patients is precisely that they do not neglect their spiritual life and their ties with their family and obviously their social environment, it is also very important that these patients are always in the company of them and their children so that all these difficulties can be overcome. go overcoming ”.
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