PubMed ID:
25779554
Public Release Type:
Journal
Publication Year: 2015
Affiliation: Departments of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA; Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1002/lt.24108
Authors:
Butt Z,
Dew MA,
DiMartini AF,
Gillespie BW,
Hill-Callahan P,
Ladner DP,
Simpson MA,
Smith AR
Studies:
Adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation Studies
Although sexual functioning is an important facet of a living donor's quality of life, it has not received an extensive evaluation in this population. Using data from the Adult-to-Adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation Cohort Study, we examined donor sexual functioning across the donation process from the predonation evaluation to 3 months and 1 year after donation. Donors (n = 208) and a comparison group of nondonors (n = 155) completed self-reported surveys with specific questions on sexual desire, satisfaction, orgasm, and (for men) erectile function. Across the 3 time points, donor sexual functioning was lower at the evaluation phase and 3 months after donation versus 1 year after donation. In the early recovery period, abdominal pain was associated with difficulty reaching orgasm [odds ratio (OR), 3.98; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.30-12.16], concerns over appearance were associated with lower sexual desire (OR, 4.14; 95% CI, 1.02-16.79), and not feeling back to normal was associated with dissatisfaction with sexual life (OR, 3.58; 95% CI, 1.43-8.99). Efforts to educate donors before the surgery and prepare them for the early recovery phase may improve recovery and reduce distress regarding sexual functioning.