Good Sex with Emily Jamea: Reclaiming Sexual Intimacy After Prostate Cancer

Emily Jamea, Ph.D., is a sex therapist, best-selling author and keynote speaker. You can also find her here, sharing her latest thoughts about sex.When your partner is faced with prostate cancer, the conversation understandably centers on survival, but often, getting to the other side is when another challenge begins — reclaiming sexual intimacy.Prostate cancer treatment can have a profound effect on sexuality. Depending on the type of treatment, men may experience erectile dysfunction, diminished sexual desire, changes in orgasm, loss of ejaculation, changes in penile sensation or length, and urinary leakage during sexual activity. These changes are physical but often have a major emotional and relational impact. Sexual recovery after prostate cancer often requires more than restoring erections. It requires redefining intimacy.I once worked with a couple — Nolan and Jenna — who came to me after Nolan had been treated for prostate cancer. Before cancer, they'd had a satisfying sex life, but everything felt different after treatment. Despite being cancer-free, he struggled to get and maintain an erection and simply didn't experience desire for sex the way he had before.Jenna assumed...