Sexual health after cancer treatment
Changes, intimacy, and getting help.
What is going on
Sexual changes after cancer treatment are common and frequently go unmentioned in visits, often because no one raises them first.
Effective approaches exist for most of the common problems.
What tends to help
- Raising it early in the visit rather than at the door
- Bringing a partner if helpful
Questions worth asking
- Is there a sexual health or gynecology service I can be referred to?
- Are there safe options given my cancer history?
Who usually owns this
- Gynecology
- Urology
- Sexual medicine
- Psycho-oncology
Contact a clinician promptly
- New bleeding, pain, or a lump
This page cannot tell you whether your cancer has returned, and it does not adjust any medicine. Anything sudden or severe belongs with emergency services.
Where this comes from
- ASCO sexual health guidanceHigh confidence
Last reviewed 2026-08-10. Next scheduled review 2027-02-10. Where oncology, cardiology, and general medicine differ, this page says so rather than picking a side.