Will A Child Conceived After My Cancer Treatment Be Healthy
There is no evidence that children conceived after cancer treatment are at an increased risk for birth defects or other health problems. However, its important to use birth control during treatment to ensure you dont conceive with sperm that may have been damaged from exposure to chemotherapy or radiation. This damage might affect the health of the child. We also recommend that you use birth control for 1 year after completing chemotherapy and radiation therapy to ensure all damaged sperm have been cleared from your body.
Some cancers are hereditary, or passed down from parents to children. Ask your doctor or nurse if you have a hereditary cancer. If you do, you can meet with a genetics counselor to learn how this may affect the health of a child.
If you have a specific genetic mutation that can be passed on to a child, you may want to consider preimplantation genetic testing . PGT is a method of testing embryos that have been created by in vitro fertilization for the mutation you have. If you want, you can then choose only those embryos that dont have the genetic mutation when youre ready to attempt pregnancy.
Donât Miss: New Vitality Super Beta Prostate P3
What Is The Honest Reality
It is evident that RE is acknowledged as an inevitable result of prostate surgery, but it does not really gain the classification of an adverse event. It is described more as something some men find uncomfortable but learn to live with.
But is it true?
A 2005 review article has listed the incidence of several complications following radical prostatectomy: mortality < 0.3%, impotence > 50%, ejaculatory dysfunction 100%, orgasmic dysfunction 50%, incontinence < 5%30%, pulmonary embolism < 1%, rectal injury < 1%, urethral stricture < 5%, and transfusion 20% . In a 2019 systematic review and network meta-analysis, RE was reported in 17 out of 109 trials .
Can I Have Sex During Treatment
There are a few factors that determine if sexual activity is safe during treatment.
- In general, sexual activity is fine during treatment as interest, energy, and comfort levels allow. While you may not feel up to sexual intimacy after surgeries or during chemotherapy and radiation hugging, kissing, holding hands, and massages may feel good and be comforting.
- If you had surgery involving the pelvic area , you may need to allow extra time for healing before having sex that involves penile stimulation or vaginal or rectal penetration . If you are being treated for oral cancer, use caution during oral sex.
- If you have mouth sores , you should not perform oral sex.
- Do not have vaginal intercourse if you have open sores on your genitals.
- If you received brachytherapy for prostate cancer , be sure to follow your oncology teamâs guidance about limiting close physical contact to avoid exposing your partner to radiation.
Read Also: How Do They Do A Biopsy On Your Prostate
Don’t Miss: How To Take Turmeric For Enlarged Prostate
What Is Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer develops in the prostatea small gland that makes seminal fluid. It is the second most common type of cancer in men. Prostate cancer usually grows over time and in the beginning stays within the prostate gland, where it may not cause serious harm. While some types of prostate cancer grow slowly and may need minimal or no treatment, other types are aggressive and can spread quickly.
Prostate cancer that is caught early has a better chance of successful treatment.
Sex After Prostatectomy: How To Have A Healthy Sex Life After Surgery
Prostate health issues such as benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer affect hundreds of thousands of men in the United States every year.
If youve been diagnosed with a serious prostate issue, your healthcare provider may suggest a prostatectomy a surgical procedure in which your part or all of your prostate gland is surgically removed from your body.
Prostate removal surgery is usually highly effective at treating cancer and prostate enlargement , but it can potentially lead to complications.
These include some sexual performance issues, such as erectile dysfunction and difficulty ejaculating normally.
Although these effects can change your sexual experience, many men are still able to enjoy a fulfilling, satisfying sex life after prostate surgery by making certain lifestyle changes and using medication.
Below, weve talked about what to expect if youre scheduled to undergo a prostatectomy and want to maintain an active sex life after surgery.
Weve also explained how you can have a healthy sex life after a partial or complete prostate removal, whether through exercises to improve sexual functioning, medications, devices or a combination of different approaches.
Read Also: How Much Does Prostate Surgery Cost
Also Check: Can An Enlarged Prostate Cause Ed
Other Ways Sex May Change After Prostate Surgery
3. Loss of libido
If youre having androgen deprivation therapy as part of your treatment, it might reduce your sex drive due to the decrease in testosterone. This can also affect your ability to get and maintain an erection. A prostate cancer diagnosis can cause stress, poor sleep, anxiety and depression, and these factors can also impact your sex drive.
If youre experiencing any of these issues and they bother you, its important to talk to your doctors and other specialists for help.
Treatment Options For Erection Restoration After Prostate Cancer Therapy
The important thing about sexual function after prostate cancer treatment is to not give up. Despite the best skills and efforts of your surgeon, you may have a significant reduction in your ability to achieve a full erection. There are multiple therapeutic options available to you. Feel comfortable at The Mens Clinic that you are getting state of the art care in a relaxing environment that ultimate should lead to good sexual outcomes.
Don’t Miss: Can A Man Have Sex If His Prostate Is Removed
Open Or Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy
In the more traditional approach to prostatectomy, called anopen prostatectomy, the surgeon operates through a single long skin incision to remove the prostate and nearby tissues. This type of surgery is done less often than in the past.
In a laparoscopic prostatectomy, the surgeon makes several smaller incisions and uses special long surgical tools to remove the prostate. The surgeon either holds the tools directly, or uses a control panel to precisely move robotic arms that hold the tools. This approach to prostatectomy has become more common in recent years. If done by experienced surgeons, the laparoscopic radical prostatectomy can give results similar to the open approach.
Prostate Surgery And Erectile Dysfunction
The short answer is yes prostate surgery is very likely to cause erectile dysfunction.
A prostatectomy, even though modern surgeries are nerve-sparing is likely to cause months of issues to a mans sex life.
Less invasive procedures that avoid the bundle of nerves and seminal vesicles next to the prostate will still likely cause ED, even if its a shorter-term issue.
Other surgeries are less likely to cause lasting damage, but the fact is that sexual dysfunction is a complicated issue. Men have to grapple with the mental side of it as well.
A cancer diagnosis can weigh heavily on a mans mind, which can impact both his sex drive as well as his ability to maintain an erection.
Theres also the fact that as we age, men experience a natural reduction in sex drive and are likely to be less able to get and maintain an erection.
The likelihood is that any surgery would just exacerbate the underlying issue.
Around 1 out of every 4 men over the age of sixty will experience some form of erectile dysfunction. Thats also the most likely group to undergo surgery, which is why the two are often linked, but not necessarily the sole cause.
If you have some pre-existing medical condition that impacts your floor muscles, sexual function or urine/ urinary function than you might find that the side effects of the surgery are more severe.
You should talk with your Urologist about any pre-existing medical conditions and how they might affect the treatment.
Read Also: Can Prostate Cancer Disappear On Its Own
What Are Pelvic Floor Exercises And Can Improve Erection Quality
As we age, we lose muscle tone throughout your body. That includes the muscles that men need to maintain erections. However, there are physical exercises men can do to reduce erectile dysfunction. The best ones are known as pelvic floor exercises or kegels.
Those muscles are the core of how your body and therefore keeps erections strong.
The process starts with identifying the muscles you need to activate. Thats best achieved by lying down with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Thats when you breathe out and squeeze your pelvic floor muscles for 3 seconds.
Its important that you identify the right group, at the base of your buttocks, on either side of your perineum. It can be easy to mistake other muscles, such as the legs or stomach for the pelvic floor.
Once you are confident you have the right muscle group, then doing the exercises in a seated or standing position three times a day can firm and strengthen the muscles, with a likely improvement within four to six weeks.
Some men find that after the initial strengthening that options like Pilates become appealing as not only are there many exercises which improve the pelvic floor, but they can improve overall posture and strength.
Can You Have Sex After Prostate Removal
The good news is that sex after prostate removal is very possible and enjoyable for most men. This is due to the newest robotic technologies that are nerve-sparing and preserve the sexual function.
Dr. Samadis robotic prostate surgery, SMART Surgery, was explicitly designed to spare the tiny nerve bundles surrounding the prostate in order to preserve sexual potency.
Men who undergo Dr. Samadis robotic prostate surgery have a reasonable chance of regaining complete erectile function for sex after prostate surgery.
So, prostate surgery does affect you sexually, but not in the ways you are thinking of.
Read Also: How Long To Recover From Prostate Cancer Surgery
What The Research Says
Steps to reduce cancer risk often include a lot of things you shouldnt do. So, it may be welcoming news to learn that something many men find pleasurable may help reduce your risk of prostate cancer.
A 2008 determined that men were more likely to develop prostate cancer if they were very sexually active in their twenties and thirties. The study also found no conclusive evidence that masturbation provide greater risk than intercourse.
Prostate cancer is the second most common kind of cancer men get. Skin cancer is the most common cancer. In the United States, one in seven men will get prostate cancer at some point in their life.
The following factors affect your risk of getting prostate cancer:
- age: men over the age of 50 are at greater risk for prostate cancer
- race: prostate cancer is more common among African American men
- genetics: your risk is greater is a close relative has a history of prostate cancer
- weight: obesity may increase your risk of getting more advanced prostate cancer
- activity level: physical inactivity has been shown to increase risk in some men
- diet: a diet high in animal and dairy fat and low in fiber, fruits, and vegetables may increase your risk
- height: tall men may be more likely to develop prostate cancer
- chemical exposure: exposure to Agent Orange increases your risk for developing prostate cancer, according the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
that a healthy diet and lifestyle may provide some protection. Steps you can take include:
Getting Treatment And Support
Speak to your GP or doctor or nurse at the hospital.
Your GP, hospital doctor or nurse can prescribe treatment for erection problems for free on the NHS, whether it’s for sex or masturbation. There may be a limit on how much treatment they can prescribe, but there is no age limit.
Talking about sex
It can be difficult talking about sex, but talking to your doctor, nurse or other health professional will mean you can get treatment and support. It can also help you feel more positive and more in control.
You can ask about sexual problems at any stage – before, during or after your prostate cancer treatment. Talking about it before your treatment will mean you know what to expect and can help you to prepare to start treatments for sexual problems soon afterwards.
Your team should ask you about your erections and sex life during your treatment for prostate cancer. But if they don’t then you may need to bring it up yourself.
Not everyone is used to talking about sex. You might need to bring it up more than once, or with a different person in your team. You can also ask to be referred to an expert in sexual problems or an ED clinic – they will be used to talking about sexual problems.
Our sexual support service
You May Like: What Is The Prostate Cancer Blood Test Called
Can A Man Function Sexually Without A Prostate
Life without a prostate can be different. While regaining an erection after prostate removal may not be possible for every patient, an erection is not the only way to have a satisfying sex life.
- Sexual fulfillment
People also ask, does prostate removal cause impotence? What is the chance of impotence after prostate surgery?
Research institutions studied sexual and urinary function 1 or more years after radical prostatectomy. Findings suggest that incontinence rates ranged from 4% to 40%. And the odds of impotence were as high as 29% to 75%.
What Is A Radical Prostatectomy
Surgery to remove the prostate to treat prostate cancer is called a radical prostatectomy. The aim of surgery is to remove all of the cancer cells.
It is usually done when the cancer is contained in the prostate and has not spread to the surrounding area.
A prostatectomy may sometimes be done to treat locally advanced prostate cancer. But usually, this operation is not possible. This is because the surgeon would not be able to remove all the cancer cells that have spread outside the prostate. Other types of surgery, such as transurethral resection of the prostate , can help with the symptoms of locally advanced prostate cancer.
A prostatectomy is a big operation and may not be suitable for everyone. Your doctor can tell you whether it is suitable or if a different treatment may be best for you.
See also
You May Like: What Age Do You Get A Prostate Exam
> > > All Natural Technique Fixes Enlarged Prostate Watch Here< <
Surgical procedures to remove the diseased prostate are usually necessary. Surgical procedures are not always necessary. If the disease is caused by bacterial infections, a doctor can treat the symptoms using alpha-blockers or surgery. Physical therapy, relaxation exercises, and warm baths are all recommended. A physician may also prescribe antibiotics to cure the infection. A bacterial infection can also cause a recurrence of the condition.
An enlarged prostate can be uncomfortable for both men and women. Some of the symptoms of an enlarged male reproductive organ include a weakened urine stream, urgent need to urinate, and urinary tract infections. BPH can also cause damage to the kidneys. A sudden inability to urinate can be life-threatening, as it can lead to bladder and kidney damage. Unfortunately, most men with enlarged prostrates put up with the symptoms for years before they seek treatment. However, many of the men with symptoms finally decide to go to a doctor for proper gynecological evaluation and to begin enlarged prostatic therapy.
Sex When You’re Single
If you are starting a new relationship, sexual problems and other side effects like urinary or bowel problems could be a worry. Some men worry that having problems with erections will affect their chances of having a new relationship. Fear of rejection is natural, and everyone has their own worries, whether or not they’ve had cancer. If you’re single, you may want time to come to terms with any changes prostate cancer has caused before you start having sex or dating.
Try talking over your worries with someone you feel comfortable with, such as a friend. Counselling or sex therapy may also help if you would prefer to talk to someone you don’t know.
Also Check: Guidelines For Bone Scan In Prostate Cancer
How To Maintain Your Sex Life After Prostate Surgery
Although prostate surgery can affect your sexual experience and performance, getting surgery to remove part or all of your prostate doesnt mean that you can no longer have sex or enjoy a satisfying sexual life.
If youve recently had prostate surgery, its important to talk to your healthcare provider before you make any changes to your health habits. Theyll be able to inform you about what you can do to restore and improve your sexual function after surgery.
After Prostate Surgery Some Men Leak During Sex
By Adam Marcus, Reuters Health
4 Min Read
NEW YORK – Incontinence during sex is a long-lasting problem for roughly one in eight men whove had their prostate removed due to cancer, a study of more than 1,400 patients has found.
Although the urine leakage resolved for some men over time, 36 percent of them still had the problem — called climacturia — two years after surgery. And 12 percent of the men called it a major bother.
According to the American Cancer Society, one in six men gets prostate cancer at some point in his life, and one in 36 will die from the disease.
While there is controversy over how to treat low-risk tumors, some of which may never cause any harm if left untreated, surgery and radiation are common options when the disease is more advanced.
This year, about 90,000 men will undergo radical prostatectomy, a procedure in which the entire prostate is removed. They face common side effects such as impotence and incontinence during routine activities, and urologists have recently learned that some may also leak urine during sex.
I think that its something that is under-appreciated, because if you look through all the discussion, everything is always about erectile dysfunction after prostate surgery, Dr. Herbert Lepor, a urologist at New York University, told Reuters Health.
We overlook some of the other issues that are relevant to overall sexual function, added Lepor, who led the new study.
RESEARCHERS SURPRISED
Don’t Miss: Can An Enlarged Prostate Cause Constipation