Back to February 2008: Sex, Intimacy, and Breast Cancer
Recommended reading on sex and breast cancer?
- Question from Alex:
Do you recommend any books on this issue? We can't afford a therapist currently, or other therapies (e.g. massage, acupuncture) that could help me personally.
- Answers —Leslie Schover, Ph.D.: Well, that's difficult. The American Cancer Society publishes the booklet Sexuality and Cancer: For the Woman Who Has Cancer and Her Partner. It's available printed or even online - you can download it at the American Cancer Society website. Beyond that, there are no books that I would recommend specifically about breast cancer and sexuality right now on the market, except Living Beyond Breast Cancer by Dr. Weiss, which has a good chapter.
- Kara Nakisbendi, M.D.: Here are a few other resources, not just about cancer. For pain with intercourse, a good site is Vaginismus.com, and while it doesn't necessarily address the vaginal estrogen issue, it does address the muscles that become involved when pain occurs. And two other books: Becoming Orgasmic by Heiman & LoPiccolo. That's a good reference as far as women in general becoming comfortable with their bodies and issues that may have preceded breast cancer and may come into play anyhow. And a good one for couples is called For Each Other by Barbach. Men actually need a lot of education around sexuality. There are a lot of myths that exist.
- Leslie Schover, Ph.D.: I also have a grant right now from the National Cancer Institute to create a multimedia website for women about sexuality and fertility after cancer. It won't be finished for a couple of years. Of course breastcancer.org is a resource for this transcript and others.