Introduction
A mastectomy affects a woman in various ways. When a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer she may have one or both breasts removed as treatment for the cancer. Other women who are at a high risk for breast cancer may opt to have a preventive or prophylactic mastectomy to avoid getting breast cancer. Whatever the reason for the surgery, there are changes to a woman's body image, self-esteem, libido and sex life. But in time as a woman heals from the breast surgery her life can return to what it was before the surgery.
One Study on the Effects of Mastectomy
A study on how women react to a mastectomy in the "Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease" found that women showed lower self-esteem months after a mastectomy. In this study women were given questionnaires to rate their body image and self esteem. There were three groups in the study--a control group, a group who had a breast biopsy and a group who had a mastectomy. The questionnaires were distributed 1 day before the biopsy or mastectomy, then 6 days after the procedures and then several months later. The self-image of the control group did not change over the time period. But for the mastectomy group, their self-image was lower several months after the operation rather than 6 days after the operation. Researchers felt that immediately following the operation a woman is in denial about having the mastectomy. This is a coping mechanism. But as the months passed a woman began to accept her situation and this resulted in lower self-esteem and poor self-image months after the operation.
Emotional Issues
Being diagnosed with breast cancer is a scary and depressing time for most women. They feel they have little control over their bodies and that their femininity is at risk. After the surgery, these fears are magnetized. Many women see their breasts as a symbol of nurturing motherhood and sexuality. The mastectomy dramatically changes a woman's identity because she no longer has two breasts. Women have different feelings about their bodies following a mastectomy. They may no longer feel very feminine. A sense of grief follows the loss of one or both breasts. There is anxiety and worry about future health issues or the return of the cancer. A woman may suffer from clinical depression. In cases like this it is suggested that a woman joins a support group for breast cancer survivors so she will not feel isolated or alone. Being with other women who are facing the same challenges will help a woman who has had a mastectomy.
The Libido and Sex
A mastectomy affects a woman's sexuality. A woman may feel less attractive or desirable after the operation. She may be unwilling or extremely anxious and self-conscious about her partner seeing her naked. This affects her libido. The sex drive in mastectomy patients decreases immediately after the operation as does the amount of sex she has. There may also be physical pain in the chest or shoulders or muscle or joint pain. Not feeling well also reduces sex drive. But with healing, and support and reassurance from her partner and family, a woman becomes more accepting of her new body. In time her sex drive can return to what it was before the mastectomy.
Tags: after operation, breast cancer, months after, affects woman, body image, both breasts, breast cancer have
