Doubts and feelings in women undergoing mastectomy

It is known that after the mastectomy the woman suffers from the alteration of her body image, as the absence of the breast produces in this woman a sensation of mutilation, loss of her femininity and sexuality. In Brazil, breast cancer is the most frequent among women and the second most frequent in the entire population, being considered as a cause of disfigurement of the female body, causing suffering to the woman and her family. Mastectomy is considered the most aggressive treatment, as it causes mutilation. With the intention of reducing the disorders caused by the treatment, women choose to reconstruct their breast. Many studies carried out on the improvement of body image, sexuality and physical attraction among women who perform the reconstruction, detect that there is a significant improvement in these items, when discussing the result about anxiety, depression, self-esteem, mood and quality of life. . The aim of this study was the integrative search that addresses the quality of life, feelings and experiences of women after mastectomy. The publications were obtained by searching the Virtual Health Library (VHL). After the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 18 articles were included in this work. The analysis of the publications suggests that, as it is a complex topic and little explored in the academic environment, there should be greater training for nursing professionals in helping to treat these women.