The purposes of this study were to explore the prevalence of quality of life (QoL) and sexual function in Taiwanese women who experienced HPV DNA test and to investigate the differences of QoL and sexual function between women who had a negative HPV result and those who had a positive HPV result.
Methods:
This was a prospective, comparative pilot study. Two structured questionnaires were utilized, including the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and the European Quality of Life Index Version 5D 5 level (EQ-5D-5L). Data collection was done at 4–6 weeks after a HPV DNA test. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including independent-samples t test.
Results:
Eighty women who experienced a HPV DNA test were recruited through the gynecology clinic in a medical center. The sample had a mean age of 46.48 years (SD=12.07). The majority of women were married or partnered (77.5%) and employed (66.3%). Thirty-seven (46.3%) women had a negative HPV result, and 43 (53.8%) had a positive HPV result. Women in the two groups did not differ in age, marital status, and employment status. For health status, women who had a negative HPV result had a mean EQ-5D-5L subscale score of 83.81 (SD=9.32), and those who had a positive HPV result had a mean score of 80.43 (SD=14.37). The scores for health status did not differ significantly between groups. However, the two groups differed significantly in the EQ-5D-5L depression/anxiety dimension. Women who had a positive HPV result (Mean=1.77, SD=0.91) had higher EQ-5D-5L scores in depression/anxiety than those who had a negative HPV result (Mean=1.19, SD=0.40) (t=-3.42, p≦0.001).
For sexual functioning, women who had a negative HPV result had a mean FSFI total score of 19.88 (SD=10.52), and those who had a positive HPV result had a mean score of 17.83 (SD=10.49). However, the differences of the total scores of the FSFI did not achieve the statistical significance between the two groups. Women who had a negative HPV result had higher FSFI scores for sexual desire, arousal, lubrication, and orgasm than those who had a positive HPV result.
Conclusion:
Women who had a positive HPV result had higher anxiety or depression than those who had a negative HPV result. Besides, women with a positive HPV result reported worse sexual desire, arousal, lubrication, and orgasm than those with a negative HPV result. Most HPV infections are asymptomatic and vanish spontaneously. However, persistent infections of 13 specific types of oncogenic HPV can result in precancer or cancer (Viens et al., 2016). Many previous studies have documented the psychosocial burden and sexual functioning associated with cervical cancer and its impact on QoL (Khalil et al., 2015). Women with HPV-related disease reported significantly worse psychosocial burden than women with normal cervical cytology (Dominiak-Felden et al., 2013). Women with abnormal cervical cytology and referred for colposcopy reported higher anxiety at baseline and had lower QoL during a 12-month follow-up period (Heinonen et al., 2013). Most women experience anxiety after the diagnosis of HPV and fear for their future health (Ferenidou et al., 2012). Moreover, their levels of sexual interest and desire and frequency of sexual intercourse decrease after the HPV diagnosis (Ferenidou et al., 2012). Our results add knowledge about QoL in women who experienced a HPV DNA test. When providing health care for women with a positive HPV result, health professionals should also consider changes in women’s QoL and sexual functioning after have a HPV diagnosis.