Prostate Cancer and Sex

Imagine you have cancer.  Cancer involving your sexuality.  How would you feel?  How would you react?

Realize everyone reacts differently to having cancer - emotionally as well as physically. 

Often the sex drive is impacted. Some men do not feel like sex before, during, and after their prostate cancer treatment. The majority feel very 'low' having received a cancer diagnosis, even to the point of depression. (If this is the case, do seek professional assistance.)  Those feelings and emotions definately do not help their sex life.

How about the alternative?  The opposite reaction? Some men believe they should be living life to the brim and enjoying their sex life to the utmost. 

Which is correct?  It is not an issue of what is right or wrong.  This simply illustrates different men's coping mechanism. 

Regardless, these changes, these disruptions to one's sexual relationships may present difficulities. Remember, this too shall pass.  Things will change. Any man with prostate cancer should always try to remember that the permanent affects of your treatment will only be evident when you are completly finished with the procedures and things are getting back to normal.

Don't worry about your sexual future until all options have been considered, treatment has been completed, and your physical situation has stabalized.

Most prostate-cancer treatment side-effects are only temporary. The fatigue and diarrhea  side effect of radiotherapy (radiation) usually slackens in the weeks after a person's treatment. These effects are tiring.  But hang in there!  Realize they do wear off after the treatment is over. 

Now, to a critical factor according to today's society...

Lost interest in sex

Less interest in sex can be from several reasons. These include the effects of an Orchidectomy, surgery or hormone treatment.  Now, about the latter.

A lower interest in sex cannot be treated by testosterone injections or patches as it might otherwise be done.  This would be counter productive since some treatments for prostate cancer are female hormone based. Using the male hormone testosterone would accelerate tumor growth and potentially negate the effects of the treatment.

However, it still may help to adjust the medications.  Loss of sex drive is less likely with anti-androgens such as bicalutamide. If doing hormone treatment, do consider researching this and other options and discussing them with your health specialist.

A note to the family

Issues such as these side effects may be very difficult to one's lifestyle.   The man's partner will also determine how he takes these changes in his sex life.

Remember, a diagnosis of prostate cancer affects a man's family, his partner, and himself as well.  Be sure to keep communication lines open, discuss the issues, and jointly come to terms with the major changes going on in your lives.

How a man viewed his sex life before this diagnosis will be critical in resolving this sensative area. Don't give up!

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