![\"Abby](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/d0a5fa1965f5c31183ccef71eda9fdbc3906a1ca.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
August 7, 2026 \u2014 7:00pm<\/p>\n
Save<\/p>\n
You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n
Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n In 2012, Letisha Living was 35 and pregnant with her fourth child when she had an ischaemic stroke.<\/p>\n During three weeks in hospital, no one prepared Living for the possibility that her relationship with her body, and sex, would change because of the stroke.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody spoke to me about it, so I didn\u2019t think it was something I should be talking about \u2026 For stroke survivors, identity and body image, those things that aren\u2019t spoken about, have an impact,\u201d Living says.<\/p>\n One in four people over 25<\/a> will have a stroke in their lifetime. It can cause a multitude of physical, mental and emotional adjustments that can change how a person\u2019s body feels and functions. This can include erectile dysfunction, changes in libido, difficulty communicating or pain during sex.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019ve had a stroke, you could have communication issues, or maybe your body parts don\u2019t work,\u201d says the now 49-year-old, who resides on the Gold Coast.<\/p>\n Related Article In her early recovery, all Living wanted was some information on what to expect and which member of her healthcare team to talk to about her sexual wellbeing.<\/p>\n That conversation never happened. Instead, she took to online forums, where she found a community asking the same questions.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was the place where I actually got acceptance about being a young person who had a stroke, so it was people saying the same thing; it was \u2018oh my god, these people get it\u2019,\u201d Living says.<\/p>\n A research project to make a difference<\/p>\n Living says she fell through the healthcare gap, which inspired her to team up with Joanne Hilder, a researcher at Southern Cross University, on a research project to make conversations about sex part of the standard stroke rehabilitation.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know that sex is key to people\u2019s quality of life,\u201d Hilder says. \u201cThe Stroke Foundation recommends<\/a> that while the patient\u2019s in hospital or rehabilitation, a healthcare professional talks to them about their sexual wellbeing.\u201d<\/p>\n The research compiled a list of the most-asked questions from Reddit to gauge what survivors were asking.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most common query is people wanting to know, is this normal? After a stroke, is it normal to have your sexual wellbeing impacted in any number of ways?\u201d Hilder says.<\/p>\n This can also help train healthcare providers to be prepared for likely questions.<\/p>\n \u201cWe did a scope of all the literature to understand what the key barriers are. From our clinician perspective it\u2019s not having enough time or the skill and confidence to discuss sexual wellbeing,\u201d Hilder says.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also a matter of addressing the issues with perception.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s also people\u2019s assumptions and biases about who gets to have sex, and often culture says younger people, able-bodied people, men, they get to have sex,\u201d Hilder says. \u201cBut what about people with disabilities, or older people, or women?\u201d<\/p>\n Matt Tilley, a clinical psychologist and lecturer in sexology at Curtin University, says sexual wellbeing is bound up in one\u2019s sense of self and can support mental health. Still, it can be an awkward conversation topic.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re raised in cultures, religions or families that may frame sex as taboo or private, and those early messages get layered onto experiences that may already be emotionally exposing and vulnerable,\u201d Tilley says.<\/p>\n \u201cSo when we try to talk about sex as adults, we may be struggling with a lack of practised vocabulary and we may be bumping up against a deep-seated association between sexuality and vulnerability.\u201d<\/p>\n This discomfort can be worsened by the \u201ccharged setting\u201d when speaking with a healthcare provider.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re often disclosing specific symptoms, dysfunctions or behaviours that touch on self-image and our sense of adequacy, which can trigger fears of being judged, pathologised or embarrassed in front of someone whose opinion carries real weight in our minds.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cMany providers themselves received minimal training in sexual health communication, so clients or patients sense that hesitancy or discomfort in the room and mirror it back,\u201d Tilley says.<\/p>\n Talking about sex after a stroke<\/p>\n To approach a conversation about sex with a partner or clinician, it\u2019s best when all parties are emotionally regulated.<\/p>\n Tilley also suggests preparing a structure for the conversation.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can help to prepare a short, direct opening line beforehand, like \u2018I\u2019ve been having some changes in my sex life since starting this medication, can we talk about it?\u2019,\u201d Tilley says.<\/p>\n Hilder agrees, saying the project isn\u2019t asking too much of clinicians. She believes the findings have far-reaching impacts.<\/p>\n \u201cAll it takes is saying, \u2018Your stroke can impact you in lots of ways, including your sexual wellbeing\u2019, and maybe, \u2018Here is a brochure\u2019,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cWe either die or we get a disability, and if we get a disability, like what a stroke can cause, then we are absolutely entitled to sexual pleasure and intimacy.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a>National Stroke Week in Australia runs from August 3 to 9.<\/p>\n Make the most of your health, relationships, fitness and nutrition with our Live Well newsletter. Get it in your inbox<\/a> every Monday.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n![\"After](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/c1c68ba27bc044ba9cc6918994282a2ea94ab1e5.jpeg\")
After a stroke, Letisha Living sought out online forums for answers about her sexual wellbeing.Paul Harris<\/p>\n![\"Holly](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786101373_132_364dd24e6ad5c0fba239fba3bb77d100a0ee3366.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\u201cFor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/75768aa21c9a813d88b80714b924c25280f5fa5f.jpeg\")
\u201cFor me, it\u2019s around not feeling embarrassed … it\u2019s about feeling comfortable to talk not just with your partner but also with a health professional,\u201d Living says.Paul Harris<\/p>\n![\"Both](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/eb4fe1308a5d3b5cb8e220ce3d9f454a24141e2a.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Abby](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773852677_508_d0a5fa1965f5c31183ccef71eda9fdbc3906a1ca.png\")
Abby Seaman<\/a> is a digital producer and lifestyle writer at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"August 7, 2026 \u2014 7:00pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":846706,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[64,63,137,500],"class_list":["post-847114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-health","tag-healthcare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=847114"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847114\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/846706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=847114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=847114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=847114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}