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. You can get a prescription for hormone creams from your doctor or buy vaginal moisturisers over the counter from pharmacies.
• Discuss changes to your libido with your partner so they understand how you’re feeling.
• Consider touching, hugging and kissing. This is a chance to feel close to your partner without expectations of sexual penetration.
• Explore other ways to experience sexual pleasure, such as caressing the breasts, thighs, feet or buttocks.
• Use water- or silicone-based vaginal lubricants (without perfumes, oils or glycerines) to make penetration comfortable.
• If you need more support, ask your doctor for a referral to a sex therapist or psychologist.

• Keeping the vagina open and supple 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 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, nurse or a physiotherapist can provide practical advice on how to use them.