When you are told you have cancer, your focus is often on getting through treatment. Cancer survivors may have changes in their sex life, including the ability to have a child, during and after cancer that may be short-term or long-term. These changes are often caused by changes to your body from:
- Surgery
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation
- A side effect of certain medicines
- How you feel about yourself and your body
It is important to tell your doctor if you notice any changes in your ability to have and enjoy sex, or if you have concerns about your ability to have a child (also called fertility).
Fertility Preservation
Cancer treatment may sometimes cause infertility, which changes a person’s ability to have children. This treatment side effect can happen to both men and women. You may not be thinking about your desire to have children until after your cancer treatment is complete, but a good time to discuss your fertility options is before you start cancer treatment. There are also choices for fertility preservation if you have already started or finished treatment for your cancer.
Treatment Options
Our team of specialists at The James will discuss options for you to consider based on factors that may affect your fertility, including:
- Age
- Your baseline fertility
- The type, amount and length of your cancer treatments
Options for women include:
- Egg freezing
- Embryo freezing
- Ovarian shielding
- Ovarian tissue freezing
- Ovarian transposition (oophoropexy)
Options for men include:
- Sperm banking
- Testicular sperm extraction
- Testicular tissue freezing
If you choose to store embryos or bank sperm or eggs for future in vitro fertilization (IVF), you will be referred to a reproductive endocrinology and infertility clinic.
The Patient Education website has an extensive inventory of resources, with many handouts available in multiple languages. Here are a few that may be of interest to you:
- What if I Want to Have a Child (For Persons Facing Cancer Treatment)
- Fertility for Men with Cancer
- Fertility for Women with Cancer
If you think you may benefit from counseling support, talk to your medical team about a referral. For more information or to schedule an appointment, you may call 614-366-8700.
Reproductive Health
Cancer treatment can come with a lot of side effects. One topic that is often difficult to discuss with doctors are the sexual changes that can happen after cancer. Sexual changes and dysfunction are normal and happen to everyone whether or not they have cancer, but it is known that cancer treatment often causes changes in sexual functioning. These changes can be temporary or longer lasting. Know that there are treatment options to help manage these sexual side effects.
Most patients can expect are decreased sexual desire, changes/difficulty reaching orgasm or ejaculating, and possible relational changes with a partner. Some patients may experience difficulty getting or maintaining an erection, while others may experience vaginal pain or dryness. Though it may be difficult, we encourage you to talk with your doctor if you are experiencing changes in sexual functioning.
Reproductive health concerns addressed in survivorship include hormone replacement therapy for males and females, direct radiation effects to the reproductive organs, and contraception and pregnancy safety considerations.
The James Cancer Hospital’s Cancer Supportive Care Program now offers services to help target these common sexual side effects. These may include:
- Evaluation by a health care professional (doctor or advanced practice nurse)
- Medication management for contraception and hormones
- Couples and Sexual Health counseling
- Pelvic Floor therapy
- Support groups
- Women’s Intimacy and Sexual Health program
- Education classes
Our clinic is inclusive of all genders and sexual orientations.
The Patient Education website has an extensive inventory of resources, with many handouts available in multiple languages. Here are a few that may be of interest to you:
- Sexual Changes During Chemotherapy
- Sexuality After Cancer
- Female Cancers and Sexuality
- Erectile Dysfunction (ED). What is it?
Talk to your medical team about a referral. For more information or to schedule an appointment, you may call 614-366-8700.