 |
FAQs
Ask A Question |
|
| Q: | I am a breast cancer survivor and had a lumpectomy over a year ago with chemo and radiation. Sex is painful since I have been on aromatase inhibitors and I really do not have any interest in having sex at all. Any suggestions for solutions would be great. |
| A: | About half of the breast cancer survivors will have long lasting sexual function difficulties. This may be caused by the various treatments, such as chemotherapy or aromatase inhibitors. Plus body image concerns can play a role in decreased sexual desire, along with any concerns your partner may have. Aromatase inhibitors decrease the amount of estrogen in your body and this decrease may cause vaginal dryness and pain. Also chemotherapy may have an impact on decreasing estrogen and testosterone levels. Painful intercourse also decreases a woman’s desire for sex. Over the counter lubricants may help, and speak with your medical oncologist about the possibility of using a vaginal estrogen and testosterone. However, some oncologists still worry about breast cancer survivors using hormone products. Below are other recommendations from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Survivorship Program. Click here to read more [PDF]. |
| Q: | Can birth control pills cause vaginal dryness? |
| A: | Yes |
| Q: | I am several weeks postpartum and I have noticed that I am very dry. Is this typical? |
| A: | If you are postpartum or breast feeding, hormonal changes may cause dryness of the vagina. |
| Q: | I sometimes have trouble urinating after sex. Why is this? |
| A: | There is increased blood flow to the vagina, vulva, and clitoris.
There is swelling around the area of the urethra, which then makes
it more difficult to urinate. After several minutes this swelling
should go down. |
| Q: | Can high blood pressure cause sexual difficulties? |
| A: | For some women, high blood pressure can cause damage to the blood vessels and there may be a decrease in blood flow to various parts of the body, including the vagina. A woman may then have more dryness, which could cause pain during intercourse. Orgasm may be impacted too. Blood pressure medications may also decrease desire. If your high blood pressure or your medication is impacting your sex life, tell your doctor. |
| Q: | Can the hymen break by using a tampon? |
| A: | Yes. |
| Q: | I have had a strong vaginal odor for several days. What might be the cause? |
| A: | The most common reason for a vaginal odor is bacterial vaginosis. It is not sexually transmitted. |
| Q: | Have you ever heard of a recessed clitoris? If so, what are the causes and cures? |
| A: | Clitoral phimosis - scarring of the clitoral hood is probably the
most common cause.
Also, there can be fusion of the labia over the clitoris which
often occurs after menopause due to lack of estrogen. It is usually
treated by local or systemic hormone therapy. |
| Q: | While my husband and I were making love and as he was bringing me to orgasm manually, I suddenly developed a severe (almost migrane like) headache that also caused me to be nauseated. I have had this happen one other time but this time was more painful and lasted much longer. The headache lasted a couple of hours. It scared us both. I am perimenopausal. Could it have been hormone related? If so what can I do about this? |
| A: | Coital headaches are not uncommon. They are more common in men than
women. Although there is no specific information as to the cause,
a current theory is that the vasodilation associated with sexual arousal
that leads to engorgement of the genitals, nipples, and nasal mucosa,
as well as the flushing of the chest and face, may become generalized
and lead to dilation of the cerebral blood vessels, causing headache.
Prevention of these headaches may be accomplished in some cases by
taking an analgesic prior to sexual activity. Other preventatives
may include caffeine and calcium (doses similar to those used for
prevention of osteoporosis). If caffeine is used, it may retard or
even prevent orgasm.
Interestingly, people who are prone to coital headaches are also more likely to develop headaches when using Viagra. This is consistent with the theory described above. A website that has some information about this phenomenon: http://headaches.about.com/library/weekly/aa061901a.htm |
All material © 2003 TWSHF.org - No distribution of any material except by written permission from info@twshf.org
Last Modified: 04/18/2004