Women who have undergone treatment for gynaecological cancers need help with their sexual health, and single, premenopausal women may be most in need, Australian researchers say.

In a systematic literature review, the investigators from the University of the Sunshine Coast examined more than 3500 papers, homing in on 46 that address risk factors and protective factors for sexual quality of life (QoL) in such women.

Synthesising their findings, they suggest strategies for clinicians to deal with a topic that patients and doctors alike can find embarrassing to discuss.

“When it comes to [sexual QoL], a common mistake is to wait until treatment has taken place to discuss sexual complaints,” they write in Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics.