Getting a cancer diagnosis can leave you feeling anxious and depressed. You may also worry how treatment may affect intimacy and your sexual performance. For men, the potential side effects of prostate cancer treatment can also be particularly concerning when they must decide which approach is right for them.

Treatment options for prostate cancer like surgery, radiation therapy, and hormone therapy can have varying side effects. These include erectile dysfunction, loss of libido, and reduced fertility. There is good news. Most of these side effects can be managed and many men have a good chance of returning to a full sex life after prostate cancer treatment. In effect, the goal is to give the patient the most appropriate cancer treatment method with the least side effects so that his quality of life will be preserved.

These days, there are a lot more options and open discussions about maintaining sexuality for men who need to go through prostate cancer treatment.

For dealing with erectile dysfunction, your healthcare professional can discuss alternatives to help you get and maintain an erection and to keep your sex life active. There is good advice available. Open communication with your partner also makes it easier to know what to expect when you are undergoing treatment and helps you to experiment with new ways of approaching sexuality. A counselling session can help you explore nonsexual intimacy to reduce anxiety over sexual performance during your treatment for prostate cancer.

If you are worried about reduced fertility, you can explore an option to store sperm in a sperm bank before starting prostate cancer treatment. Ghana already has a few certified fertility centres that offer these services. Remember, there are several options to deal with erectile dysfunction and related problems during prostate cancer treatment, which can be discussed with your healthcare professional at your cancer treatment center.