Resume your sexuality after any type of cancer

If you are a survivor or are receiving any cancer treatment, it is normal for the side effects of medications to interrupt your sexual life, experiencing vaginal dryness, pain, irritation or lack of desire. If this is your case, start now to implement some simple measures to resume well-being in your sexuality.

Here we share some tips!

Being diagnosed with any type of cancer, your sexual life may have taken a backseat , because you are simply focused on complying with the medical treatment to the letter; going through a whirlwind of emotions when assuming many changes in your lifestyle and drawing the strength to overcome all the implicit effects.

Today we are here to remind you that it is also true that during all this process that you had to live at this stage of your life, moments of intimacy and life as a couple can become an incentive to relax, connect and recover the energy you need. opening a space of well-being and security with the person you love, to disconnect for a while and get away from worries. Give you the chance!

Effects of cancer on your sexuality

To begin, it is important that you inform yourself , because currently most of the effective treatments to treat cancer (such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy) have a set of side effects that can condition your sexuality, which you should know and prepare for. decrease your symptoms.

However, it is important to note that each woman is different and you may experience various symptoms depending on the disease you have, your age, the treatment indicated for your case, the dose received, and its duration.

It is also true that there are some temporary side effects , which improve when the treatment ends and others that can remain for a longer time or even start after the treatment is finished.

For this reason, we recommend that you be very familiar with the symptoms that generally occur with any cancer treatment, which you can mitigate with some simple actions.

Below, we list the main types of treatment and their effects on your sexuality:

• Chemotherapy can cause estrogen levels to drop and cause primary ovarian failure . You will say: what is that? , because this means that the ovaries fall asleep, do not produce hormones and do not release eggs. As a consequence, you begin to feel the discomforts of early menopause, such as hot flashes, irregular or absent periods, and vaginal dryness, which interferes with your sexual relations or causes pain. You can also see your vaginal tissue affected, which becomes thinner or thinner, causing pain, burning, and irritation.

• Anti-hormone therapy ( also called endocrine therapy ) can cause low estrogen levels, opening the door again to hot flashes, irregular or absent periods, and vaginal dryness.

• Medications such as opioids used for severe pain and others used to treat depression can cause your sex drive to decrease or disappear .

• radiotherapy _ directed at the pelvic area : used in cancer of the bladder, cervix, ovaries, rectum, uterus or vagina, it has the effect of thinning the tissues, inflaming them and making them very fragile and easy to break; They can also affect the ovaries to such an extent that they don't work properly and lower estrogen levels, thus leading to the onset of early menopause and its effects. This means that you can witness: vaginal dryness, weakness of the muscles in that area, feeling the vagina less elastic, narrow or short and with thinner walls. This results in the presence of burning, itching, pain or inflammation of the vagina, which causes discomfort during sexual intercourse.

• Surgery for gynecologic cancers can affect your sex life and cause physical changes that can affect the way you see your body. It is important that you discuss this issue with your doctor prior to surgery, to manage your expectations about what to expect later and prepare to make any adjustments that may be necessary after surgery, such as a mastectomy or ostomy . .

8 keys so that cancer does not interfere with your sexual life

1. Ask everything you can to your medical team: The first thing we always tell you. Have an honest conversation with your doctor about the changes you may be experiencing as a result of treating your condition. It is key that you know the root of the problem.
   
   Here we share some basic questions that you should not leave out:
   

• What sexual changes or problems are common with your treatment ?
• What are the side effects you may feel at each stage of treatment? pain , tiredness , hair loss , lack of interest or desire, sadness or difficulty sleeping or any other symptom that affects your sexual life.
• When might these changes occur?
• How long could these problems last? will they be permanent
• How can these problems be prevented, treated or controlled?
• Which specialists do you suggest to talk to and inform you about?
• Is there a support group you recommend?
• What precautions do you need to observe during treatment? For example, should my partner use a condom? Are there some situations in which I should avoid sexual activity?
• What contraceptive methods are recommended during treatment?
• Talk clearly about sex with your partner: in a friendly and reflective tone, without making value judgments or looking for blame, sit down and talk with your partner about how you feel about it, what kind of support you expect from him and what are the measures that you can take together to stay sexually connected. It is important that you listen to their point of view and take them into account.
• Try to be open-minded about the ways you experience sexual pleasure – there may be times when the kind of sex you enjoy best is not possible. Then take the opportunity to learn new ways to give and receive sexual pleasure . Together you can help each other achieve orgasm through touch and caresses. Or if you prefer you can try masturbation. Do not discard the opportunity to feel pleasure, just because your routine has changed.
• Strengthen your self-esteem . Remember your virtues. If you lose your hair, you can opt for a wig, hat, or scarf to feel more comfortable. If one of your breasts was removed, you can try an external prosthesis. There are many examples to solve your new life situation, the important thing is that you find a way to feel better about yourself. And if you are anxious, depressed or feel a lot of difficulties, you can practice with a relaxation technique or yoga. Always seek professional help.
• Use a quality intimate gel with a high concentration of hyaluronic acid daily, such as the one we offer you at Zenzsual , which moisturizes your genitals, eliminates vaginal dryness, combats itching and burning, and facilitates rubbing during sexual intercourse. In addition, with daily use you recover the tone and elasticity that you normally had.
• Ask your doctor if you can use a vaginal dilator , which you use under his guidance and with the help of an intimate gel such as Zenzsual, with the intention of avoiding scars or repairing those that have appeared after radiotherapy, which affect your vagina. .
• Get into a pelvic muscle exercise routine to reduce pain, improve bladder retention, improve bowel function , and increase blood flow to the area, which can improve your sexual health.

At Zenzsual we offer you our VagiYoga vaginal exerciser , which we created especially to take care of your feminine health. Using it in manual mode or with the help of the application from your mobile phone, it guides you to start with your Kegel Exercises and keep track and verify if you are performing them correctly.

In short, if you have difficulties resuming your sexual life during the cancer healing process or after having lived this experience, keep in mind that there are always options to make sexuality a space for well-being and pleasure even in times of illness. Although it is normal that there will be difficult days in which it does not even occur to you to talk about this topic, surely later you may need a boost and some changes in the routine to resume your sexual relationship. The most important thing is that you do not get frustrated on the first try and put into practice all the options that we give you, always with the advice of your doctor and talking a lot with your partner.

At Zenzsual we accompany you on this path and we are willing to listen to you in the recovery of your health, because IF IT IS POSSIBLE!

Visit us on our website: www.zenzsual.com and follow us on social networks with the user: @zenzsual, where we are always sharing advice on sexual well-being and women's health.

FOUNTAIN:

• Dr. Klara Senior @klarasenior
• Dr. Sofía Herrera @tu_ginecologa
• American Cancer Society article
• Original article from the National Cancer Institute