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Colorectal Cancer: Sex, Sexuality and Intimacy

How Colorectal Cancer Can Affect Sexuality And Sex Drive

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The emotions and physical chang es that come with a diagnosis or living with a debilitating or chronic health condition can have an impact on sexuality and sex drive ("libido"). For instance: 

EMOTIONS

  • Depression or Anxiety
    • Both men and women who are diagnosed with cancer are 15 or 20 percent more likely to have depression or anxiety. 
    • Depression and anxiety can affect mood, your connection with your self, your connection with your partner and children, and with your co-workers. 
    • For information about how to cope with depression, click here. For information about coping with anxiety, click here.
  • Fear of Recurrence
    • An ongoing fear of recurrence can cause both patients and their partners to feel less secure which in turn can affect sex drive.
    • For tips about dealing with fear of recurrence, click here.
  • Negative feelings about self
    • Because of physical changes such as hair loss, scars, weight gain or loss or an ostomy, patients can have decreased self-esteem which can lower sex drive. If a lack of self esteem affects your life, consider speaking with a mental health professional. 
    • For the different types of mental health professional, click here. For practical tips about choosing one, click here.
  • Role changes
    • If a bread winner is diagnosed and has to stay home or needs physical help, the partner has more to do - and may even have to return to work. The partner is also likely to change from being an equal to being a caregiver. These changes can cause conflict and can lower self esteem.  Low self esteem can lower sex drive.
  • Reproductive concerns
    • Chemotherapy and other treatments can affect fertility. In turn, this can have an emotional impact as well as the physical result of no longer being able to have children.
    • For information about preserving the ability to have children, click here.  
    • If fertility has already been affected, consider adoption. Your health history as such does ot prevent adopting. For information, click here.

PHYSICAL CHANGES RESULTING FROM A HEALTH CONDITION.

  • Treatment such as surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation. 
    • To learn about each treatment for colorectal cancer and how it can affect sex and sexuality, see the other sections of this document.
  • An ostomy can cause loss of interset in sexuality and sex. 
    • For information about an ostomy and sexuality, click here.
    • To learn how to live with an ostomy, click here.
  • Hair loss can cause loss of interest in sexuality and sex. To learn how to cope with hair loss, click here.
  • Weight gain or loss can affect interest in sexuality and sex. For coping techniques, click here.
  • Medications to treat the disease or emotional stress. 
    • For example, anti-anxiety drugs or anti-depressants. 
    • If the side effects of a particular drug interfere with your life, let your doctor know. Perhaps there is an alternative drug that will not have a similar efffect.
    • For information from purchasing to safe handling, storage and disposal of medicaitons, click here. 

NOTE: Use of alcohol and smoking can cause erection difficulties and lack of interest in sex.

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