All Cancers : At what point during cancer treatment should sex and intimacy issues be discussed? Is it different between women and men?

At what point during cancer treatment should sex and intimacy issues be discussed? Is it different between women and men?

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DonDizonMD (Physician - Oncology - Hematology/Oncology (Verified) ) - 07 / 10 / 2012

This is a delicate topic, and there is no one right answer. Some patients want to know from the beginning, while others who were recently diagnosed, are more concentrated on the "fight" ahead, living through treatment, and beyond the cancer. The most appropriate time to discuss it is when the patient wants to know. For some women, we talk about it as part of the treatment discussion. It can help when there are multiple choices available. For others though, we wait until the "acute" period is over, at which time we can concentrate on finding the way to navigate post-treatment and the "new normal".

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