Sexuality and Fertility after Cancer [Paperback]

Leslie R. Schover (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471181943 | ISBN-13: 978-0471181941 | Publication Date: September 30, 1997 | Edition: 1

"Finally! Such a comprehensive resource for survivors has been long overdue." --Michelle Melin, M.P.P., Director of Patient Services Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization

"An excellent, well-researched book that responds to the needs of survivors." --Anna Meadows, M.D. Director, Division of Oncology and Children's Cancer Research Center Children's Hospital of Phildadelphia.

Now as never before cancer survivors are discovering their potential for renewed sexuality, which many may never have thought possible. In this comprehensive new book, the leading authority in the field carefully and reassuringly explains your options and gives you the accurate, up-to-date information you need to take advantage of them. Now you can make the decisions that are best for you based on recent medical advances and the newest perspectives. This unique guide covers:
* The kinds of sexual problems both men and women are likely to face after treatment --and state-of-the-art solutions
* The most effective infertility treatments
* How to assess the risks of pregnancy
* The latest information on body image, low sex drive, performance anxieties, medications, sex aids, and reconstructive surgery
* Special topics such as sex after breast or prostate cancer, and the specific problems facing gays, singles, and survivors of childhood cancers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Loss of sexual desires is one of the most common results of cancer treatment, and yet that loss and its link to infertility are often ignored by doctors, especially outside the major cancer centers.
It is a complex problem with many causes. Damage to the ovaries from radiation therapy, for example, impairs hormone production and may result in lowered sexual interest. Removal of the testicles in testicular cancer causes a loss of testosterone and of desire, as can bone marrow transplants.
Pain relievers, nausea drugs, beta-blockers for high blood pressure and tranquilizers and antidepressants also decrease libido. As the author, an associate professor of behavioral science at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, sums it up: "It's hard to get in the mood for sex when you are generally feeling lousy. Any cancer treatment that produces fatigue, chronic pain, nausea or weakness can decrease your interest."
This valuable book provides accurate information on the causes of these important problems, and offers some reassuring and workable solutions. Many of the suggestions are helpful not only for cancer patients but for people with other illnesses, the elderly and those who believe that sex must involve penetration to provide erotic pleasure.
The author includes sections on exploring sexual touch, on intercourse positions that minimize pain and on exercises that help men and women cope with the genital pain that often occurs after cancer. She also dispels some common myths about sex and cancer, among them that having sexual relations cause cancer to spread, that giving up sex will help cure cancer, that mastectomy destroys a woman's sex life and that cancer is contagious through sex.
The physical aspects of cancer and its treatment are not the only things that interfere with sexuality, according to the author. She writes, "It is the emotional reactions people have to cancer that most commonly cause sexual problems." (The New York Times, October 2, 2001)

From the Publisher

In the United States today, there are 8 million cancer survivors, including the 5 million who are alive for over five years since their diagnosis. With the help of the American Cancer Society, this leading sex therapist and staff member of the prestigious Cleveland Clinic has written an accurate, up-to-date and empowering reference for these survivors on staying sexually active and having children after cancer treatment. Examines the emotional and physical impact of breast, prostate and other cancers, plus sections on dating and sexual orientation.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (September 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471181943
• ISBN-13: 978-0471181941
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #944,852 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for all cancer patients, July 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sexuality and Fertility after Cancer (Paperback)

I recommend this book to all cancer patients. If the shock of a cancer diagnosis doesn't reak havoc on your sex life, the treatments probably will. This book offers lots of suggestions for maintaining and/or improving intimacy and sex during and after cancer.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book, December 16, 2008

By 

Julie Diaz - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sexuality and Fertility after Cancer (Paperback)

Found it really helpful in educating & discussing many sensitive issues. I came back to this book several times during the treatment phase.