Nearly half of women who have had breast cancer go on to experience sexual difficulties, but many are too embarrassed to seek help. This is the finding of a new survey, from Breast Cancer Now, suggesting more than 150,000 women in the UK have experienced sexual difficulties, including vaginal dryness, pain and loss of libido as a result of their breast cancer treatment.
A third (34%) of women surveyed who experienced sexual difficulties reported that while they needed support they didn’t ask their hospital team or GP for it, with over half (54%) of these women saying this was because they were too embarrassed. Other reasons given included worrying about wasting the time of medical professionals (45%); feeling the issue was too trivial to raise (48%); not knowing who to ask (40%); or worrying concerns would be dismissed (29%).
The findings come as Breast Cancer Now and Ann Summers launch a new partnership to help open up the conversation around sex and intimacy after a breast cancer diagnosis.
Keeley Russell, 42 from Hertfordshire, was “too embarrassed” to seek help after she encountered issues following her breast cancer treatment in 2018, which included a lumpectomy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone therapies,
“As soon as chemotherapy started, sex became unbelievably painful and my libido basically disappeared,” she remembers. “However, because it’s such a taboo subject, I was too embarrassed to ask my GP for help even though I needed it. I finally ended up emailing him instead which still felt mortifying.”
Another woman, who wished to remain anonymous, previously told HuffPost UK how she gradually reintroduced sex into her marriage after breast cancer.
“I’ve learned how to have sex again by talking to other patients on Twitter. A bag of tricks is essential – a small vibrator and vaginal dilators combined with vaginal oestrogen pessaries and a lubricant does the job,” she said.
“It does mean sex is never spontaneous – we can’t just have a quickie – but it is possible. It also means that I’m often the one who has to initiate sex, as my husband is scared he might hurt me if he suggests it.”
Breast cancer remains the most common cancer in the UK with around 55,000 women and 370 men being diagnosed every year.
The partnership between Breast Cancer Now and Ann Summers aims to increase awareness of the impact that side effects of treatment can have on sexual wellbeing, as well as to encourage discussion.
Anyone looking for support and information about breast cancer and sex can call Breast Cancer Now’s free Helpline on 0808 800 6000 to speak to an expert nurse.