Sex and Cancer: Resources for Wellbeing in the Bedroom

Jan 23, 2023

Read time: 6 minutes

Close up of two hands, fingers interlaced on top of a bed

Sex can feel like a taboo topic for anyone, but sex and other forms of intimacy are important parts of a relationship, including for people with cancer. Cancer itself and certain treatments can have temporary or permanent physical and emotional impacts that affect a person’s sex organs, fertility, relationship with their body, ability to become aroused, and desire to want to be intimate with their partner.

Sexual health resources are available to help people living with cancer maintain an active sex life. Talking about sex and sexual intimacy with experts in Huntsman Cancer Institute’s Sexual Health and Wellbeing Clinic lets patients learn about options and what they can expect during and after treatment.

Cancer Types that Affect Sex

Engaging in sexual activity may look different for people with cancer, and that’s OK. How cancer affects a person’s sex life may depend on what type of cancer they have and the treatment they go through.

Common types of cancers that may impact sex, sex drive (libido), fertility, and body image include the following:

Other forms of cancer may also impact a person’s sexual health and sex life.

Cancer Treatments that Affect Sex

Cancer treatments can affect a person’s sex life during treatment and long term. Surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy are common types of treatment for cancer. Patients should ask their doctor if and how long they should wait to engage in sex after receiving certain treatments.

Surgery may change a person’s physical appearance, sex drive, or ability to reproduce.
Radiation to the pelvic area may cause vaginal bleeding or discomfort during sex.
Chemotherapy and hormonal treatments can affect appearance and sex organs by reducing hormone levels. This can lead to changes in the ability to create eggs and sperm, and it may cause reactions to mucus membranes in the mouth and vagina, making sex painful. Patients should ask their doctor whether having sex raises the risk of infection.

Before Treatment

People with cancer should talk to their cancer care team before treatment begins to learn about possible outcomes and ask questions. A person’s ability to have children or become pregnant, called fertility, can be impacted by cancer and certain treatments. It is extremely important for people with cancer to talk with their doctor about fertility before cancer treatment.

Huntsman Cancer Institute works with the Utah Center for Reproductive Medicine at the University of Utah to help people with cancer who want to have children after treatment.

Questions for Your Doctor

Cancer Treatment and Sex

How will treatment affect sex?
Is it safe to have sex during treatment? If not, when will be it be safe?
Are there any types of sex I should avoid?
Can my treatment or medications be passed to my partner during intercourse?
Do I need to use birth control or other protection during treatment?

Cancer Treatment and Fertility

What are my options?
How much time do I have before I start treatment?
How will I know if I am fertile after my cancer treatment?
How do I know when it is safe to try having a baby?
Will there be any health risks to me or my future children?
What can be done to help protect my fertility?

During Treatment

There are many physical, physiological, and emotional side effects during cancer treatment that can change a person’s sex life. Many patients with cancer have feelings and emotions that reduce sex drive such as stress, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and changed appearance.

Possible Side Effects

Genital discomfort
Pain during ejaculation
Difficulty having or keeping an erection
Dry vagina
Abnormal vaginal discharge
Bleeding before or after sex

While undergoing treatment, bodily fluids may contain traces of cancer medication. This can pose a risk to sexual partners. Patients should talk to their doctors to learn if the medicines taken pose this risk.

Learn more about how to protect yourself and your partner through the Sexual Health during and after Cancer Treatment fact sheet.

After Treatment

Those who have had cancer treatment may experience temporary or permanent sexual side effects. These changes can impact a person’s relationship with themselves in and outside of the bedroom and with any sexual partners.

After cancer treatment, patients should continue having follow-up visits with their cancer care team or their primary care physician for medical advice regarding their sexual health and fertility.

Pregnancy and Cancer Treatment

Pregnancy during cancer treatment can harm the fetus. It is important for those undergoing cancer treatment to use effective forms of birth control. Most doctors recommend using two methods to avoid pregnancy. Patients may not be able to use some types of birth control such as birth control pills and should talk to their care team about the best and safest methods of birth control.

Patients should also talk to their cancer care team about how long after treatment they should avoid getting pregnant. Most patients need to avoid pregnancy for six months to one year after completing cancer treatment. The time may be shorter or longer, depending on the situation.

Cancer treatment may also permanently affect one’s ability to get someone or become pregnant. For this reason, it is critical to talk about fertility before cancer treatment begins.

Tips for Managing Sexual Side Effects

Some cancer treatments can make sex painful. There are many resources available for people assigned female at birth to help make sex more enjoyable. These include medications, lubricants, moisturizers, and vaginal dilators. Lubricants and moisturizers can be found at pharmacies and online. Dilators can be purchased at specialty shops or online. Additional information can be found on our Women’s Sexual Health after Cancer Treatment fact sheet. These do not prevent pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections.

Vaginal lubricants work immediately to ease dryness during sex and can be placed in and round the vagina, on penises, other body parts, or other instruments that go into the vagina. Use water- and silicone-based lubricants instead of oil-based or other products that have glycerin or flavors as these can be irritating.
Vaginal moisturizers help to ease dryness when not having sex and should be used often, up to three times per week. Oil-based moisturizers are OK for people with no history of urinary tract infections, yeast infections, or diabetes.
Vaginal dilators or vibrators can be used to gently stretch the vagina slowly over time and should be used with a vaginal lubricant.

For those who have had surgery for breast cancer such as mastectomy, changes associated with those surgeries may impact body image and sensations around the breast and nipple area. Nipple reconstruction, tattooing, and breast reconstruction are options that some choose following a breast cancer surgery. Keep in mind that some of these options require multiple surgeries.

Learn more about breast reconstruction.

Sexual Health and Wellbeing Clinic

The Sexual Health and Wellbeing Clinic provides a safe place for patients to talk about sex and sexual health. Providers can discuss how to prevent side effects and improve sexual function, plus offer treatment options and sexual health counseling. This can help patients learn new ways to cope with physical changes, deal with stress, strengthen intimate relationships, and grieve the loss of their health.

To schedule an appointment, patients may fill out our appointment request form or contact the scheduling coordinator.