Sex libido after prostatectomy

Good question. Hopefully someone who has had surgery can answer the question. I've never seen loss of libido mentioned as a result of surgery.
Have you had your surgery? If so, how long ago? Was it more extensive than just the prostate and surrounding nodes?
Loss of libido is usually from damage to the testicles or the testosterone delivery. If there is no physical damage I would suspect non physical causes. Loss of libido and ED can both be caused by emotional or psychological factors.
Guy B. Meredith, moderator.

Thanks for your response. It’s only 2.5 weeks since my robotic surgery. I haven’t enquired if it was nerve saving, I don’t want to know as yet, but I certainly don’t feel horny 😀

Nerve sparing surgery is to avoid ED, but should not affect your libido. There are two neurovascular (nerves plus blood vessels) bundles, one on each side of your prostate. The nerves control erection and the vessels feed the blood to the erectile tissue to create an erection. If the nerves are damaged you will not be able to have an erection. The damage may be temporary in a successful surgery or permanent if nerves could not be preserved.

But we can usually have libido and orgasm without an erection.

How extensive was your surgery? Could it have damaged testosterone production or delivery?

Have your providers encouraged you to try to have erections? It is standard procedure with many doctors to encourage patients to try to have as many erections as possible within 2 weeks of surgery to avoid atrophy of the erectile tissue.

Do you have a sexual partner? Have you tried to be intimate? Men who are on hormone treatment and have no sexual desire find that trying to pleasure their partner brings them to arousal.

I had hormone treatment (AKA chemical castration, AKA ADT (Androgen Deprivation Therapy). From this experience I can tell you that quite a bit of sex is in our minds. Hormone treatment removes testosterone and all interest in sex, but we can have sex with enough erotic and physical stimulus.



Guy B. Meredith, moderator.

Thank you again for your prompt reply. Well I haven’t had hormone treatment.
I suppose I have to gather up courage to ask my urologist if my nerves were spared, I do know that the cancer was compromising the at least one nerve. All he said was that the surgery was successful.
I’ll update as I go. I have a caring partner who is younger and extremely understanding. We have been intimate and she has massaged me but very little feeling. I find having my nipples stimulated a good start also and have done extensive research and practice pre op regarding their importance in arousal. These little buds are under rated in men.