09-Thu-Jan-2025
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Author :
Dr. Sheikh Jeelani
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BNYS | FTECH
When faced with a cancer diagnosis, sexual health is probably the last thing on your mind. However, with improved technologies for preventing and treating cancer comes a growing body of survivors, as well as urgent questions regarding quality of life post-survival. A recent review in the Journal of Urology (Pizzol et al., 2021) published data on the prevalence of ejaculatory disorder and erectile dysfunction in cancer patients and survivors. They found that sexual dysfunction rates can range from 6.8% to 68.7%, depending on the location of the cancer and the type of treatment used. These rates were especially high for people treated for cancers in the pelvic region, including bladder, colon, rectal, testicular, and prostate cancers.?
The authors urged practitioners and patients to open up a dialogue about how cancer and its treatment may affect a patient’s sexual health and fertility, and how to best accommodate the patient’s needs going forward. For patients interested in fertility post-cancer, they recommended fertility preservation, such as cryobanking prior to their cancer treatment. Cryobanking is a specialized process that involves collecting, freezing, and storing sperm for future use.??
Men experiencing sexual dysfunction and/or fertility issues after treatment may not even realize that their sexual health issues are related to their cancer treatment. Cancer survivors experiencing erectile dysfunction or disordered ejaculation should feel comforted knowing that they are not alone, and that treatment options are available.
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