Quality of life in physical and sexual dimensions among women undergoing hysterectomy and hormone-therapy because of abnormal uterine bleeding

Abstract

Background: Menstruation is a physiologic phenomenon and the hallmark of reproduction for women in reproductive age. However, sometimes abnormal bleeding needs hormone-therapy or hysterectomy and each of these treatments can affect women's physical and sexual health and quality of life. Therefore, the quality of life assessment after such treatments can prepare the health care system to confront the poor quality of life in these women.

Methods: This was a descriptive comparative study. Subjects included women in reproductive age, who were under hormone therapy for at least 6 months because of abnormal uterine bleeding (54 women) or had a hysterectomy 6 months ago (54 women). Data were collected by a questionnaire measured the physical and sexual dimensions of women's lives.

Results: Comparing the quality of life in the physical and sexual health dimensions, after removing the effects of background factors, showed that the scores of sexual dimension of the quality of life is significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.046), and the physical dimension of quality of life was lower in the hysterectomy group. But the scores of sexual dimension of life in hysterectomy group were higher than hormone-therapy group (p = 0.001).

Conclusion: Hysterectomy and hormone-therapy, as treatments of abnormal uterine bleedings, change the quality of life in physical and sexual dimensions; so that in hormone-therapy group, the quality of life in physical dimension is higher than hysterectomy group but women with hysterectomy history had a better sexual life.

Key words: Hysterectomy, hormone-therapy, physical dimension, sexual dimension, quality of life