Cancer and its treatment can interfere with sexual function. Directly by reducing the sexual response potential and indirectly by interfering with the optimal physical conditions to get erotically involved.

Next to that, cancer can seriously interrupt the intimacy of both patient and couple.

In this process, various factors can interact.

Fear and emotional disturbance can exclude intimacy for part of the couples, but in others it can enhance emotional intimacy. Differences in coping with fear, disappointment and loss can cause separation and become another reason for reduced physical intimacy.

Especially having genital cancer can decrease the sense of female or male self.

The patientʼs body, originally a source of pleasure and attraction, is now harbouring the disease and can become a constant reminder of that. Being visibly damaged by the treatment, the body can seriously reduce the desire for physical intimacy, and being physically damaged the body can become unable to transmit visual, tactile or other erogenous exchange.

For the partner an important aspect of healthy partnership is the balance between giving care and recharging the own battery. But for many couples it is difficult to find a proper balance between ‘togetherness’and ‘separateness’. That applies also for the area of sexuality.

In spite of all the here mentioned negative consequences, we should not forget that for part of the couples the cancer diagnosis and treatment will intensify intimacy and the relationship.