fighting cancer takes heavy toll on the sex lives of young women, study says

according to a new study on a rarely-discussed subject, many young women who have recovered from cancer deal with sexual dysfunction.

by dave yasvinski

published oct 03, 2022

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young female cancer survivors more likely to report sexual problems

lack of interest in sex was the main issue reported by young women who have survived cancer. getty

nearly two out three of young women who have survived cancer subsequently experience some form of sexual dysfunction, including loss of libido and discomfort, according to a new study that shines a light on a seldom discussed subject. the research, published in the journal acta oncologica, found that the type of cancer and intensity of treatment both play a role in the quality of a patient’s future sex life. the findings were based on a survey of 694 women who received a cancer diagnosis prior to the age of 40. although the women who overcame cancer were found to be as sexually active as those who did not have the disease, they were much more likely to report issues during intimacy.

“this is one of the largest population-based studies of sexual function ever conducted in young women following cancer,” said lena wettergren, lead author and principal investigator of the study and a professor in care sciences at uppsala university in sweden. “our results show two out of three women experienced sexual dysfunction and the problems are related to their cancer treatment and emotional distress.”

lack of interest in sex (45 per cent) was the main issue reported by cancer patients, followed by problems achieving orgasm (34 per cent) and satisfaction with their sex life (22 per cent). these issues are also common among women in the general population, according to the study, but to a lesser degree (32 per cent, 28 per cent and 19 per cent, respectively).

researchers are calling on healthcare workers to provide sexual wellbeing support for these women, where appropriate, including information on hormone replacement therapy (hrt), vaginal moisturizers and psychosexual counselling.

“these findings underscore the need to routinely assess sexual health in clinical care and follow-up,” wettergren said. “we recommend development of specific interventions directed to women in addition to offering counselling and other aids.”

two out of five canadians (43 per cent of women and 44 per cent of men) will receive a cancer diagnosis at some point in their lives, according to the canadian cancer society, with around one in four expected to die from the disease. depending on the severity, fighting cancer can be a gruelling experience and the hormonal changes that can occur, combined with the mental and physical toll of treatment, often undermine a patient’s ability to enjoy intimacy.

the women in the study were all between the ages of 18 and 39 and identified through official national health registries. half of the participants had breast cancer and the remainder had either gynecological cancer, brain tumours or lymphoma. more than half reported their treatment to be very intense and extensive.

the surveys, which inquired about sexual activity over the past month, were completed a year and a half after patients were diagnosed. questions covered eight topics and included satisfaction with sex life, interest in sexual activity, discomfort and pain when engaging in sexual activity and ability to orgasm. the group also answered questions about body image and emotional distress and results were compared to 493 women (aged 19 to 40) who did not have a cancer diagnosis.

researchers discovered that the majority of women, with and without cancer (83 and 87 per cent, respectively), had sex over the previous 30 days, either with a partner or by themselves. two out of three cancer patients complained about at least one sexual issue, such as vulvar discomfort. this group was also more likely to report issues related to any type of sexual activity.

older women and those fighting breast or gynecological cancer were most likely to experience intimacy issues, as were those undergoing intense radiotherapy or chemotherapy. emotional distress and a distorted body image of their bodies following treatment were associated with greater dysfunction.

vaginal dryness (or pain) and feeling unattractive were the most commonly cited issues interfering with sexual activity — factors likely related to treatment that researchers believe can be improved by a renewed focus on the sexual wellbeing of patients.