It will take some time to recover from the physical and emotional changes caused by treatment for cervical cancer. Some people have many side effects, while others don’t have any. Side effects may last from several weeks to a few months or, less commonly, many years or permanently.
Learn more about treatment side effects:
- Side effects of surgery
- Side effects of radiation
- Side effects of chemotherapy
- Side effects of targeted therapy and immunotherapy
- Impact on sex and intimacy
Fertility issues
If your uterus is removed or you have radiation therapy to the uterus and cervix, you will not be able to conceive children or carry a pregnancy. Before treatment starts, ask your doctor or a fertility specialist about what options are available to you. Being told that your reproductive organs will be removed or will no longer work can be devastating.
Even if your family is complete or you did not want children, you may still feel a sense of loss and grief. These reactions are common. Speaking to a counsellor or gynaecological oncology nurse about your feelings can be helpful.
See more on Fertility and cancer.
→ READ MORE: Life after treatment
More resources
Dr Antonia Jones, Gynaecological Oncologist, Royal Women’s Hospital and Mercy Hospital for Women, Melbourne, VIC; Angelyn Aligarbes, Consumer; A/Prof Emma Allanson, Gynaecological Oncologist and Head of Dept, Gynaecologic Oncology, King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women, WA; Gemma Busuttil, Radiation Therapist Specialist, Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre, Westmead Hospital, NSW; Laura Carman, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council VIC; Danielle Carpenter, Gynaecology Nurse Consultant, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; A/Prof Pearly Khaw, Lead Radiation Oncologist – Gynae-Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; Georgina Richter, Gynae-Oncology Clinical Nurse Consultant, Royal Adelaide Hospital, SA; A/Prof Megan Smith, Research Fellow, Cancer Elimination Collaboration, University of Sydney, NSW; Sophia Wooldridge, Senior Clinical Psychologist, Hunter New England Centre for Gynaecological Cancer, John Hunter Hospital, NSW; Melissa Whalen, Consumer.
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