Managing changes in your sex life

Sexual changes

Changes to the vagina

• Give yourself time to get used to any physical changes.
• Talk to your doctor about ways to manage side effects that change your sex life. They may suggest using hormone creams and vaginal moisturisers to help with vaginal discomfort and dryness.
• Discuss changes to your libido with your partner so they understand how you’re feeling. You may both need to be patient.
• Consider touching, hugging and kissing. This is a chance to feel close to your partner without expectations of sexual penetration.
• Explore other ways to climax, such as caressing the breasts, inner thighs, feet or buttocks.
• Use water- or silicone-based vaginal lubricants without perfumes, oils or glycerines.

• Try to keep the vagina open and supple. This will make sexual intercourse more comfortable. Even if you don’t plan to be sexually active, it also makes it easier for your doctor to do regular cervical screening tests, as well as vaginal examinations to check whether the cancer has come back.
• Your doctor or nurse may suggest you use a vaginal dilator to help keep the walls of the vagina open and supple.
• Dilators are tube-shaped devices made from plastic or silicone. They are designed to gently stretch the vagina. They come in different sizes – it is important to seek advice from a health professional about the correct size.
• Wait until any soreness has settled before you start using a dilator. This is usually 2-6 weeks after your last session of radiation therapy.
• Used with lubricant, the dilator is inserted into the vagina for short periods of time.
• Using a dilator can be challenging. Your doctor or a physiotherapist can provide practical advice on how to use them.
• Having regular gentle sexual intercourse can also help widen the vagina. Use a lubricant to prevent discomfort caused by vaginal dryness.