This week we've been discussing sexual health and intimacy concerns that may arise following the diagnosis and treatment of a brain tumor. We invited Dr. Sueann Mark, Clinical Sexologist, and cancer survivor, to answer common questions about sexuality and intimacy.
Q: First of all, what are some common sexual and intimacy related issues that you hear about from cancer survivors and their partners?
Dr. Mark: There are some common themes that I hear from survivors in terms of their sex life and their intimacy. For the survivors themselves, after a cancer diagnosis, sexuality is usually the last thing on the priority list. You have to do what you need to do to get through every day, and sex really doesn’t enter your consciousness, certainly right after diagnosis. So there is a lack of acknowledgement that sex could possibly be an important thing in your life at some point. When you put it on the back burner, it tends to flounder. I see a lot of survivors that basically stop being sexual all together, and end up after treatment is over feeling lost. They don’t know how to regain their sexuality. The fatigue that comes along with treatment is a major contributor to difficulties among survivors. And what I hear from the partners of survivors is that they are worried that they’re going to hurt the survivor, they don’t know when it’s time to be sexual again. They have a lot of questions about what’s safe, and making that transition from a caregiving situation to a sexual situation can be difficult for some people.
Becca Jones, MPH, CHES
Program Manager, Patient Services
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