S E X U A L I T Y

The diagnose cancer causes for many people fear and uncertainty. Everyone who has cancer might get some changes in their sexual life. This chance is bigger when you got some types of cancer like bladder cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer. This also counts for some treatments.

These changes however take also place for the partner, boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife from the (ex)-cancer patient . Many changes take place for the person. The body changes: it smells differently, it feels differently etc. So it's very difficult for the partner too.

Changes

Both physical and mental changes influence the sexual life.

• Physical results from the disease or treatment take place. Besides invisible results like tiredness take place.
• Sexual feelings are depended of the sex hormone. A treatment might cause a shortage of these hormones. This causes that your desire of making love decreases.
• People need to cope with a lot of physical things too. All kinds of feelings like fear, sense or shame, and powerlessness might appear.

Get used to it

Cancer changes a lot in your life, most of the time also in your sexual life.
It takes time to get used to this.
Only start with sexual contact when you are ready for it.

Take your time, even when this takes longer then you expected it to be.

Talk

Speaking about cancer is difficult enough already, let alone about the sexual changes which are caused by the cancer.
The changes might be as radical that advice and support from others is necessary to feel better. You will have to start talking about this subject.
On the other hand, you can ask help from other patients or professional social workers.