Sex

sex after cancerDo you feel like you used to have a high sex drive and now you don’t have any interest, or perhaps you want to have sex but it is causing you pain? Do you feel less confident in your body?

Cancer treatment can make changes to your physical and emotional self, which can have a negative impact on your body image, physical ability to give and receive pleasure, erectile difficulties or sexual pain, or desire or energy to have sex. This can be distressing and embarrassing, and may cause problems whether you’re in a long-term relationship or not. 

If you feel able to, talk to your treatment team and/or your GP about your worries – there is nothing they haven’t heard before. They can offer support or medication, or point you in the right direction, depending on the issue. 

And if you don’t want to have sex at this time, you don’t have to! Your sexuality isn’t fixed, you can change your mind, find new things pleasurable and communicate in new ways. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. You are your own person, with your own thoughts, feelings and desires, and you can still feel good about who you are. You might also want to look at Shine events for meetups and workshops in your area. Shine’s annual conference often includes a session on sex after cancer, and our Great Escape weekends include an opportunity to discuss various aspects of sexual relationships.

 

  • Watch our videos where we discuss the most common sexual problems that can arise from cancer treatment and where to go for support.
  • Our podcast features Dr Isabel White, a Psychosexual Therapist and Oncology Nurse based at the Royal Marsden, where she discusses the most common issues faced by men and women during and after cancer treatment and answer your questions.
  • Read our blogs about sex and cancer.
  • Check out this booklet on pleasure and intimacy after cancer from our friends @sex_cancer_intimacy (check them out on Insta).

Podcasts on sex and relationships with cancer

Videos on sex with cancer

How do hormone treatments (for men and women) affect sex lives?

What are the most common sexual problems after cancer?

Is it possible to pass on chemo drugs through sex?

Blogs about sex and cancer

Meet Cheryl and Sarah – our Ambassadors for August

Meet Cheryl and Sarah – our Ambassadors for August

We're delighted to be focusing on intimacy after cancer this month - and we could think of no better Ambassadors than Cheryl and Sarah of Cancer, Sex, Intimacy. Both women have been diagnosed with cancer - for Sarah her diagnosis was in January 2017 and for Cheryl,...

Sex talk: a Plus Ones perspective

Sex talk: a Plus Ones perspective

In this blog post from our series on sex and cancer, one of our Shine Plus Ones chats to us about his experiences of intimacy after his partner’s diagnosis. How did you feel when your partner was first diagnosed with cancer? How did you both react to the diagnosis? My...

Sex talk: how can I talk to my partner?

Sex talk: how can I talk to my partner?

In the next instalment of our blog series on sex and cancer, we get advice from psychosexual therapist Dr Eleanor Holloway and retired oncology nurse consultant Lin Purandare about discussing sex with our partners. When we surveyed members of the Shine community about...

Sex talk: why I avoided the conversation

Sex talk: why I avoided the conversation

In the next instalment of our series about sex and cancer, our blog editor Caroline writes about her experiences of discussing intimacy with her medical team.

Sex talk: what’s the problem?

Sex talk: what’s the problem?

In the first instalment of our new blog series exploring sex and cancer, we speak to psychosexual therapist Dr Eleanor Holloway about the expectations and realities of sex after diagnosis and treatment. We all know about the ‘new normal’ that comes after a cancer...

Sex talk – introducing our new blog series

Sex talk – introducing our new blog series

We know that sex matters. It matters at any age, obviously. But when cancer treatment robs you of your sexuality as a young adult – because you lost a testicle, or a breast, or confidence in yourself and your ability to be sexual – it can be especially tough.

Advanced Cancer

Dating

Fertility

LGBT cancer

LGBTQI+

menopause after cancer

Menopause

Mental Health

just diagnosed with cancer

Newly Diagnosed

parenting through cancer

Parenting

Sex

Travel Insurance

Work