{"id":385708,"date":"2026-07-24T23:38:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T23:38:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/385708\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T23:38:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T23:38:13","slug":"sexual-dysfunction-after-cancer-treatment-4-things-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/385708\/","title":{"rendered":"Sexual dysfunction after cancer treatment: 4 things to know"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sex is a normal, healthy part of adult life. But some side effects<\/a> of cancer treatment<\/a> can directly impact your ability to enjoy it.<\/p>\n

Advanced practice provider<\/a> Donna Herrera Bell and clinical psychotherapist Carmella Wygant explored this topic during a recent Cancerwise podcast<\/a>. Here are four highlights from their conversation.<\/p>\n

Men: Don\u2019t confuse infertility with impotence<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a male patient at UT MD Anderson, you will likely be counseled<\/a> on how cancer treatment could affect your fertility. This applies whether you\u2019re facing an orchiectomy<\/a> due to testicular cancer<\/a>, the heavy duty chemotherapy<\/a> that precedes a stem cell transplant<\/a>, or some other form of cancer treatment.<\/p>\n

The most important thing to remember from these conversations? The ability to sire a child is not the same thing as the ability to maintain an erection.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany men equate infertility with sexual dysfunction,\u201d explains Bell. \u201cThey think, \u2018Oh yeah. I was told I was at high risk for infertility. That\u2019s why I can\u2019t get an erection. But \u2018infertility\u2019 doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re not going to be able to perform sexually. You should still be having erections. You should still be able to ejaculate. If you\u2019re unable to do any of those things, that\u2019s not normal. You need to let your provider know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Women: Don\u2019t resign yourself to dryness-related discomfort<\/p>\n

Vaginal dryness is an issue for many women, especially those who are already in menopause<\/a>. But whether it\u2019s caused by low estrogen levels, pelvic radiation<\/a>, or some other form of cancer treatment, vaginal dryness is not just a problem when it comes to sex.<\/p>\n

\u201cVaginal dryness can be uncomfortable in your daily life, too,\u201d notes Bell. \u201cMany of my female patients tell me, \u2018I\u2019m even uncomfortable just sitting at my desk.\u2019 Or, \u2018I\u2019m a teacher and I\u2019m uncomfortable standing in front of my classroom.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Regardless of what\u2019s causing vaginal dryness, you need not resign yourself to a lifetime of suffering.<\/p>\n

\u201cHormone replacement<\/a> may help,\u201d notes Bell. \u201cEven women who are not candidates for that could be candidates for topical estrogen \u2014 including some of our breast cancer<\/a> patients. There\u2019s also a myriad of other products that can be used, such as coconut oil.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Cancerwise<\/p>\n

\"Cancerwise<\/p>\n

Sex after cancer treatment: Managing side effects<\/p>\n

Everyone: Don\u2019t overlook medication as a possible libido killer<\/p>\n

A change in libido is the most common sexual side effect reported by male and female cancer patients alike.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just the sex drive, but the desire and the mental energy around it,\u201d notes Bell. \u201cOne of the questions I hear most frequently is, \u2018When am I going to get that back?\u2019 Another is, \u2018How do I share these changes with my partner? I don\u2019t want them to think it\u2019s their fault.’\u201d<\/p>\n

A diminished sex drive can be due to many factors, including self-consciousness about an\u00a0ostomy<\/a>,\u00a0surgery scars<\/a>\u00a0or some other\u00a0change in appearance<\/a>. But don\u2019t forget that other options may also be to blame.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a nurse practitioner, one of the first places I look for culprits is the\u00a0medication list<\/a>,\u201d notes Bell. \u201cMany patients are on SSRIs (serotonin inhibitors) or some other drug to treat\u00a0depression<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0anxiety<\/a>. Those can most definitely impact libido.\u201d<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t wait for your care team to broach the subject<\/p>\n

Wygant and Bell both acknowledge that talking about sexual side effects can be awkward. But\u00a0sexuality<\/a>\u00a0is an important part of adult life. So, don\u2019t be afraid to bring it up.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cStudies show that 70% to 90% of patients want their care team to initiate the conversation,\u201d says Wygant. \u201cBut you don\u2019t have to wait. You\u2019re having a natural response to an abnormal situation. It\u2019s OK to talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

To hear the complete conversation between Bell and Wygant, listen to\u00a0the podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Request an appointment at UT MD Anderson online<\/a>\u202for\u202fcall 1-877-632-6789.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sex is a normal, healthy part of adult life. But some side effects of cancer treatment can directly…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":385709,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[1145,71160,1142,56,58,57,1148,72496,136019,29508,2822,15433],"class_list":["post-385708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-caregivers","tag-expert-insights","tag-family-friends","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news","tag-patients","tag-sexuality","tag-sexuality-and-fertility","tag-side-effects","tag-survivors","tag-treatment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=385708"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385708\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/385709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=385708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=385708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=385708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}