LET’S TALK ABOUT IT

Cancer takes a toll on many aspects of a couple’s life. The hormonal and overall physical changes that men and women may experience through cancer can highly affect the sexual dynamic between a couple. If sex was a part of the relationship before cancer, acknowledge how it may be affected by the diagnosis.

• Talk to your spouse. How is it affecting each of you? What questions do you have for each other? Communication between partners is the most crucial part of finding solutions for you both. It doesn’t matter who brings it up as long as both are open to having an honest conversation. • Use your medical team as a resource. Ask your oncologist, nurse practitioner, nurses, palliative care physician, doctor of oriental medicineor social worker about concerns you have.

• Discuss your concerns with a trusted friend, someone who may understand or can help. Intimacy can take many forms. Seek other ways to feel intimate with each other and redefine what it means together.