Does Cancer Really Affect Men’s Sexual Health?

December 2, 2019
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Dr Sudip Roy
Posted in iieHealth News
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Certain kinds of cancer are known to affect the organs in the pelvic area thus affecting their sex life. There is always a chance that survivors of such forms of cancer run the risk of suffering from several problems. Normally people who suffer from cancer in areas such as the prostate gland, colon, bladder or rectum are known to suffer from these issues. In fact, it has been seen that men who have gone through treatment for prostate cancer have perhaps the highest rate of sexual dysfunction. At times it could go up to as much as 75 to 85 percent. Let’s find it out the effect of cancer on the sexual health of men on this digital health platform.

Challenges with Sexual Functioning Among Men

As it is when they get older men started having issues with their sexual functioning. In fact, even if they have never had cancer, 50 percent of the men will face issues with an erection after they turn 70. This implies that there is always a chance that older men, who have survived some of the other kind of cancer, would experience sex-related problems that may not always be connected to the dreaded disease. It may not also be linked to the treatment that they have received in this regard.

Other Factors That May Have Say In This Regard

Some other factors could prove to be influential in this particular context. For example, it can be pointed out that overweight men normally suffer from erectile dysfunction. This is also applicable to people who drink and smoke regularly. Along with this, other health conditions such as heart diseases, kidney diseases, high blood pressure, and diabetes could affect the sexual performance – including the erection – of a man.

What Effect Can Cancer Have On Sex?

At times, the effect that cancer may have on the sexual performance of a male survivor could be more emotional than a physical one. One can feel anxious, self-conscious, or depressed after surviving cancer and this could affect his sexual performance to a significant extent as well. This, in turn, could create tension in his partner and that in turn could worsen matters as well. In some of these cases, it has been seen that sexual functioning gets hampered. In such cases, it would be better to work with a mental health professional who is certified to deal in such cases. They can help such patients deal with such situations in their lives in a highly effective manner.

Conclusion

In case the survivor’s testicles have been removed as a part of treatment, if he has had hormone therapy for prostate cancer, intensive chemotherapy, or has undergone radiation-based treatment close to his testicles it would lower his testosterone levels significantly. This could contribute to the loss of some serious issues such as sexual desire, erectile dysfunction, trouble in being excited while having sex, and trouble in reaching an orgasm. In cases of treatments such as radical prostatectomy, radical cystectomy, abdominoperineal resection, chemotherapy, and pelvic radiotherapy a survivor may find it hard to achieve an erection and maintain it.

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