Full Description
Winner of the 2023 SSTAR Consumer Book Award!
Woman Cancer Sex, Second Edition, is an accessible and comprehensive resource for women living with and surviving cancer as they navigate specific challenges related to sex and sexuality.
Women who have survived cancer remain sexual beings despite the challenges of cancer treatment, and they often have nowhere to go with their questions and concerns. This text interweaves stories from clinical practice with evidence-based tips and interventions for a range of physical and emotional side effects resulting from cancer and its treatment. Each chapter describes the experience of a woman with a particular kind of cancer and a variety of related problems, including loss of libido, physical pain, body image issues, depression, and struggles communicating with a partner and health care providers.
Written by a leading voice in the field of cancer and sexuality, this book offers essential guidance surrounding questions about sexual health for women diagnosed with cancer. It will also be of use to health care providers including social workers and sex and couple therapists.
Contents
Part I. The Basics 1. Why Sex Matters 2. How Do Things Work? Part II. How Cancer Affects Sexuality: The Stories 3. "When I Look in the Mirror, I See a Changed Person": Alterations in Body Image 4. "Sex is the Last Thing on my Mind Right Now": Loss of Libido 5. "It's as if I'm Dead from the Waist Down": Arousal Disorders 6. "It Just Doesn't Feel the Same—The Fireworks are Gone": Absence of Orgasms 7. "Sex isn't Supposed to Hurt!": Painful Intercourse 8. "Will it Ever be the Way it Was?": Depression at the End of Treatment 9. "I Have Something to Tell You...": Disclosure 10. "How Do You Know How I feel?": When the Partner Feels Neglected 11. "We Were Talking About Starting a Family When This Happened": Facing Infertility 12. "I Don't Have Much Time Left and I Want to Feel Loved": Sexuality at the End of Life 13. What Happens to the Partner When a Woman Gets Cancer? Part III. 14. Communicating About Sexual Difficulties 15. Lotions and Potions 16. Resources Appendix 1 Mindfulness-Based Exercises Appendix 2 Sensate Focus Exercises
