ABSTRACT

Background: Bone marrow transplantation has revolutionized the management of many cancers and hematologic diseases. Some early and late complications may affect the recovery in the ensuing months. Physical, psychosocial functioning and different aspects of the quality of life could inadvertently be affected. So, the aim of study was to investigate the sexual dysfunction of Iranian patients and their partners before and after bone marrow transplantation. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 100 bone marrow transplant patients and 100 sexual partners. Prevalence and severity of sexual problems were measured by the Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale (ASEX) Questionnaire in all subjects before and after 6 months of bone marrow transplantation. Depression and anxiety were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score (HADS) questionnaire. Results: The mean age of patients and their partner was 40.34 ± 9.8 years and the mean duration of relationship was 23.74 ± 5.6 years. The results demonstrated a significant increase in the rate of sexual disorders 6 months after bone marrow transplantation (P <0.05). Depression and anxiety increased in the patient group at 6 months, but this increase was not significant (P> 0.05). Patients' sexual partners also had similar results to those seen in patients. Besides, a significant and direct correlation was found between the ASEX test score and the degree of depression in the patient group and their sexual partner at the end of the study (P <0.05). Duration of relationship was also significantly correlated with ASEX scores and depression scores only before the transplant. Other pre- and post-transplant demographic characteristics did not correlate significantly with ASEX and HADS scores. Conclusion: This study showed that bone marrow transplantation not only increases sexual dysfunction in patients, but also cause these dysfunctions in their sexual partner.

Keywords: sexual dysfunction, bone marrow transplantation, patient information