Prostate Cancer and Sexual Healthcare

By Nick Myers

2 min read

In this article, I want to talk to you about what type of sexual healthcare doctors may prescribe for men with prostate cancer. I think it's important for anyone to think about how their doctor is treating them when it comes to sexual health.

Quality of life after treatment

Let me start by saying I support testing and early detection of prostate cancer. As you may know, early detection can potentially lead to better health outcomes. I understand that physicians may be more concerned with saving your life versus the quality of life you have after they save it. With that said, quality of life is still important, and that can include sexual activity with a partner.¹

As many of you know, having surgery and/or some of the treatments for prostate cancer can cause side effects. Some of the side effects can include bladder incontinence or various sexual dysfunctions, such as erectile dysfunction (ED). Some people may start rehabilitation – for lack of a better term, let's call it "penile rehab" – as soon as they enter the recovery phase of treatment to help deal with the sexual side effects.²

Asking your doctor questions

It’s important for a person and their doctor to be on the same page when it comes to quality of life after surgery or treatments. Depending on what type of treatment you had, the doctor may have a good idea of what type of rehab would work best for your situation. Questions to ask the doctor can include:

How long will rehab last?
Will there be any new side effects?

You may want to have your partner present during this conversation so they can ask any questions they may have as well.

Considering different options

A doctor may prescribe Viagra or Cialis to help a person with ED. While some men have success with these meds, these pills do not work for everyone. In other words, some men do not see the sexual improvements they were expecting. A sexual partner could be disappointed as well. I suggest having a talk with your doctor about the likelihood of success with the type of rehab they recommend.³

Let’s take this idea of penile rehab a step further. Your doctor may suggest a penile implant. That would mean another surgery in your genital region. Is this something you would be open to? What do you think your partner would have to say about this? Just a few things to think about.³

Getting the right support

While the doctor is a part of your care team, another important member of the team could be a counselor or therapist. If you find a counselor who specializes in cancer treatment, they may be able to guide you through your rehab options and discuss issues and concerns you and your partner may have.⁴

Feel free to use this article as a guide to begin the conversation with your doctor on what to expect post-treatment and ways to improve your quality of life. When it comes to quality of life, I strongly believe much more work in this area is needed. What are your thoughts about this? Please leave a comment below.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The ProstateCancer.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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Jim Early Moderator & Contributor
In my PC support group we often spend a lot of time on the technical issues including all the medical decisions that our members have to continuously make around the choice and duration of treatments and testing. The problem is that we fail to get around to the sexual and social issues until the end of the meeting and that leaves many unsatisfied. We have even considered a separate meeting time for those who primarily want to talk about these issues. Our group is primarily made up of gay men. And, of course, most of our members are over 60. This demographic includes a large number of men who have come to fully realize their sexual and emotional identities late in life. A product of the deep closet of the past, coming out is often both anxiety producing and empowering at the same time. It isn't unique to find men whose cancer diagnosis comes shortly after they fully are ready to experience their sexual and emotional life as who they really are. For many gay men the decision to treat and experience the side effects that so profoundly alters their sex lives can be met with a choice that can lead to treatment with profound depression or non treatment to allow a few fully functional years at the expense of advancing disease. This is not a conversation that most physicians and traditional support groups are equipped to deal with. The need for avenues of help, be it LQTB support groups or targeted online forums, is a critical unmet need for many gay men across the wide divide of distances and political landscapes of American and beyond.
Jamie Member
I agree that quality of life should high on the priority list after prostate cancer treatment, namely prostatectomy. 
1. Richard Faust Community Admin
 Hi <inline-mention username="Jamie" user-id="4574697"/>. Yes, quality of life should be part of the conversation from the beginning and following treatment. Are there any questions we can help with? Best, Richard (ProstateCancer.net Team)
2. Jamie Member
 <inline-mention username="Richard Faust" user-id="3268931"/> hello. I'm glad to read articles about the side effects of prostate cancer treatment namely prostatectomy. I'm currently dealing with these issues so hearing other perspectives helps me learn.
Dennis E. Golden Moderator & Contributor
@ Nick Myers ... I have had multiple opportunities over the past few years to meet face to face medical doctors, researchers, scientists and statisticians working on government grants in the prostate cancer detection and treatment field. I can not tell you how often I need to remind folks that while putting PCa in remission is of high importance equally important is the consideration of the impact these new treatments can hav on "quality of life issues" both the patient and those close to him. By all means ALWAYS speak up and ask direct questions whenever you are speaking with an MD, scientist etc and STRESS any concerns you may have for quality of life issues . Dennis (ProstateCancer.net TEAM