Tina Turner has said in the past, "What's love got to do with it?'  Cancer survivors have contemplated, "What does sexuality got to do with it?".  After treatment is over and your "new normal" begins to emerge what does one's sexuality look like. Some may say that cancer treatment had no effect on their sexuality.  There are those who have had breast cancer or oral cancer that parts of their body were removed that say treatment completely changed the way they viewed their sexuality. 

Sexuality, or sex means different things to different people.  It is highly personal and shapes who we are: male and female, our feelings of intimacy and pleasure and how our bodies work.  Women who have had breast cancer that have had to have a mastectomy sometimes feel that they have lost "everything that makes me a woman."  Men on the other hand may not be as vocal but they are concerned with the ability to resume normal sexual relations with their spouses. 

It is very crucial that you achieve comfort first with your own sexuality and then that of your partner.  Open communication is a must.  Arm yourself with knowledge.   Talk with your doctor about concerns you may have and options that you may have to make your intimacy what you want it to be.  Real life after cancer can be even more meaningful than you envisioned it to be.  It's safe to be vulnerable to your loved one to create the intimacy that you crave.

Wilmoth, M., C. Life after cancer:  What does sexuality have to do with it? Oncology Nursing
      Forum (5)33, 905-908.