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Patients tend to lose interest in “sex” when receiving cancer therapy, or at least for some period of time. The foremost concern of patient lies on survival and consequently the sex is ranked far behind in the ranking of needs. Any obstruction of exciting emotion or idea will interfere with sexual desire. 

Impact of Radiation Therapy on Female

Pelvic radiation therapy is used of gynecological cancer ( endometrial cancer, cervical cancer and vaginal cancer ), bladder cancer, or colon cancer, which usually affects the sex life of women.

When patients receive radiation therapy, the tissue on radiated area will become red and even black like sunburn. The vagina could perceive pain during the period of radiation therapy or few weeks after that. Once the injured area is recovered, it could leave scars. The thick vaginal wall becomes fibrosis and rough while the vaginal wall could not expand like before during sexual excitement or sexual intercourse. 

The harm brought by radiation to vagina could make the inner wall of vagina thin. Many women may not feel pain during sexual intercourse but could experience minor bleeding after sexual intercourse. Some women will have ulcer or pain on the vagina, which will probably recovery in few months after the radiation therapy.

The pelvic radiation therapy often encounters scar and could make shorten or narrow the vagina. To avoid the formation of scar tissue, the patients are advised to have sexual intercourse for 3~4 times or routinely use vagina expansion device to facilitate the stretching of inner wall of vagina.

Impact of Radiation Therapy on Male

Pelvic radiation therapy usually applies to the therapy on prostate cancer, bladder cancer or colon cancer; and sometimes it will cause impotence. The higher the total radiation dose and the larger field of pelvis receiving radiation, the more likely it is to have impotence. The reason that radiation affects performance of erection is that it will hurt the artery that carries blood to penis. When some of the radiated areas recover, the internal tissues will scar. Some patients will perceive poor erection while others can still erect completely. 

Self-Adjustment

Cancer could not be infected by human, not even kissing, sexual intercourse or oral intercourse as well as other intimate contact. Patients tend to stop sex life because they worry that “ sex ” will deteriorate cancer. If you are not sure if sexual behavior will affect the therapy, the rule of thumb is to ask your physician. Every patient must be treated separately according to the different condition. Cancer could affect the patient’s appearance, strength and sense of happiness. Learn to appreciate yourself and pay attention to your own strengths.