Surgery to the vulva can cause physical changes. If the labia have been removed, you will be able to see the opening to the vagina more clearly. If scar tissue has formed around the outside of the vagina, the entrance to the vagina will be narrower. If the clitoris has been removed, there will now be an area of flat skin without the usual folds of the vulva.
Radiation therapy may make your skin dry, itchy and tender in the treatment area. Talk with your treatment team about ways to manage these changes. Skin reactions will gradually improve after treatment finishes. Pelvic radiation therapy can also narrow the vagina, causing thinning of the vaginal walls and dryness.
You may be offered vaginal dilators to help keep the vagina open and prevent it from closing over. Using dilators may help make sex and follow-up pelvic examinations more comfortable. Ask your doctor, nurse or physiotherapist for more information about using vaginal dilators. They may also suggest using hormone creams or vaginal moisturisers to help with vaginal discomfort and dryness.
The plastic vaginal dilators they gave me were sturdy, white and horrible. I didn’t want to use them in such an intimate area, so I bought my own. Buying pretty silicone dilators gave me a sense of control, and they were a lot more comfortable to use.
Jane
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Prof Alison Brand AM, Director, Gynaecological Oncology, Westmead Hospital, NSW; Kim Hobbs, Clinical Specialist Social Worker, Gynaecological Cancer, Westmead Hospital, NSW; Dr Ming-Yin Lin, Radiation Oncologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; Dr Lisa Mackenzie, Clinical Psychologist Registrar, HNE Centre for Gynaecological Cancer, Hunter New England Local Health District, NSW; Anne Mellon, CNC – Gynaecological Oncology, HNE Centre for Gynaecological Cancer, Hunter New England Local Health District, NSW; A/Prof Tarek Meniawy, Medical Oncologist, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and The University of Western Australia, WA; Dr Archana Rao, Gynaecological Oncologist, Senior Staff Specialist, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, QLD; Tara Redemski, Senior Physiotherapist – Cancer and Blood Disorders, Gold Coast University Hospital, QLD; Anita Tyrrell, Consumer; Maria Veale, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council QLD.
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