Contents:
- Medical Video: Renewed Sexual Pleasure for Couples Post-Prostate Cancer Treatment
- Cancer and its effects on the patient's sex life
- Can cancer sufferers have sex?
- So, how do you deal with sexual problems caused by cancer treatment?
- 1. Maintain communication with your partner
- 2. Maintaining intimacy through small things
- 3. Check with the doctor
Medical Video: Renewed Sexual Pleasure for Couples Post-Prostate Cancer Treatment
Inevitably, cancer treatment can affect every aspect of a patient's life. Including related to his sexual life. Not infrequently, this raises a big question for the patient or his partner: can I still have sex? Is sex safe with cancer sufferers? And various other questions.So, how do you deal with sexual problems due to the effects of cancer treatment? Know the answers in this article.
Cancer and its effects on the patient's sex life
Depending on the type of cancer you are suffering from and the treatment you are taking, which is clear, your sex life can undergo quite dramatic changes. Even so, the cause of cancer patients' complaints about their sex life is more due to therapy, not because of the cancer itself.
According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), there are some sexual problems that concern cancer patients due to side effects of treatment, including:
- Infertility
- Erectile dysfunction
- Pain during penetration
- Early menopause
- Depression and anxiety
- Not confident about changes in body shape
- Decreased sexual desire
Can cancer sufferers have sex?
Having sex with cancer patients is basically quite safe. This is because sex will not make cancer more severe or increase the risk of cancer recurrence. In addition, cancer is not contagious or moves to other people.
Cancer can indeed affect your sexual life and your partner. Even so, many couples say that the experience of having cancer makes them feel closer to each other.
There are several important considerations if you want to have sex during the cancer treatment period, namely:
- Knowing the type of cancer that is experienced. This is important. Because if the cancer affects your genitals, the process of sex certainly takes a long time. In fact, your doctor will recommend that you not have sex until the healing process is complete.
- Also know the type of chemotherapy used. If chemotherapy uses high doses, it will significantly affect the immune system, so sex should be avoided first.
- Finally, find out your ability to have sex. The chemotherapy period is a long period that drains your physical and inner self. That is why fatigue can be sure to be one of the most influential side effects. So consider, are you able to undergo sexual activity with your partner when you are tired?
So, how do you deal with sexual problems caused by cancer treatment?
Based on the considerations described above, it does not mean that you and your partner cannot have a pleasant sex life. Sexual life between husband and wife when one is undergoing cancer treatment is not only expressed through sexual intercourse.
There are several other ways to keep affection with your partner to be able to restore intimacy in the following simple way:
1. Maintain communication with your partner
This method is the key to making your sexual life fun and full of passion. So, don't hesitate to discuss and talk from heart to heart about what you feel and want about sex with your partner.
2. Maintaining intimacy through small things
Some people might consider if a pleasant sexual life is a matter of satisfaction reaching orgasm during sexual intercourse. Even though it's not like that. One of the goals of sex is to strengthen the inner bond and affection between husband and wife. To make this happen, you can take simple actions such as kissing, hugging, doing activities together, giving surprises and always ready to be beside him.
3. Check with the doctor
If your sexual problems lie in erectile disorders and decreased sex drive, consulting a doctor or therapist is the right solution. Don't be shy and reluctant to talk about your sex life with a doctor. Because if you are closed, the doctor will also find it difficult to help find a solution to the problem you are facing.
