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Katie Thurston opened up about being a “34-year-old with the vagina of an older woman with menopause” amid her breast cancer treatment
The former Bachelorette was transparent about the insecurities she has around sex and how it has impacted her relationship with her husband
She previously revealed that her hormone-blocking therapy and other medications have pushed her into medically induced menopause
Katie Thurston is being transparent about her insecurities with sex amid her cancer treatments.
On Wednesday, Sept. 3, the Bachelorette star, 34, got candid about her sex life on her Boobie Broadcast channel, where she’s been sharing regular updates since being diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, which has metastasized to her liver.
In the post, she shared a photo of a box of estradiol vaginal cream and explained how her ongoing treatment has deterred her from having sex with husband Jeff Arcuri.
“Welp. Here I am. A 34-year-old with the vagina of an older woman with menopause now,” she wrote. “My pap smear verbiage scared me. ‘Atrophy.’ I wish it was ‘a trophy’ instead. Slowly pieces of my womanhood are taken away. My breasts. My fertility. My ovaries. My sex life. I’m gonna be real when I say sex is not on my mind. Jeff and I had honest conversations about it. The insecurities. The fear of it hurting. I don’t want intimacy to feel scary…and yet it does right now.”
She continued, “Some are nervous about this as it’s exactly what we are trying to keep low, my estradiol levels. But cancer patients deserve quality of life too. And studies show that this isn’t enough to have a negative impact on cancer patients when a topical cream like this is used vaginally 2x a week. Wet Wednesday and sexy Saturday lol my manifestations for the future I guess.”
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty
Katie Thurston
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Thurston said that her estradiol levels are monitored monthly so — without giving too much personal information — she’ll continue to share updates on the impact on her intimacy.
Last month, Thurston first opened up about how breast cancer has changed her sex life during an appearance on the August 26 episode of Teddi Mellencamp’s podcast, Two Ts in a Pod.
“Girl…,” she told Mellencamp as they both laughed. “To be honest, sorry, Jeff, I don’t know the last time we had sex right now.”
The reality star explained that she simply doesn’t feel the same amid her ongoing treatments. She’s currently undergoing hormone-blocking therapy and taking other medications, which have pushed her into medically induced menopause.
“Yeah, it’s like there’s just so much changes with my body, especially with menopause. Like things are not the same down there, and that’s something I’m still trying to figure out what to do,” she said at the time. “And then of course [Jeff’s] very sensitive like, ‘I don’t want to hurt you.’ And then even like the breasts, I’m like, ‘Don’t touch the breasts.’”
Despite her difficulties, Thurston also discussed her greater appreciation for life as she navigates breast cancer. She was brought to tears when reflecting on the change in her mindset since receiving her diagnosis, explaining that the little things don’t matter as much anymore.
“My view on beauty [changed] because it’s so beautiful to be alive versus like to be skinny or to be pretty,” she said, getting choked up. “It’s hard to understand or to put into words eloquently, but it’s like I find what’s beautiful is life now. I care less about cellulite or weight gain or whatever because every day I’m just happy to be here now.”
Read the original article on People