Fighting Prostate Cancer – A Survival Guide. Dr. Jyoti Shah

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SEX & PROSTATE CANCER

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Having cancer and associated treatments can affect your sex life in many ways, such as: • Make you feel less interested in having sex • You may feel too tired for sex • Feeling anxious or afraid • Having a cancer diagnosis can be associated with sadness and a sense of loss • Changes in your orgasm and ejaculation • Not being able to get or keep an erection • Not being able to father children Why is my libido lower? • Hormone treatments that decrease blood testosterone levels can dampen sexual desire and male sex drive • Having a cancer diagnosis can make you feel Common anxious,Questions worried, or more preoccupied Can Ilow live without • You may still be able to have an erection even1.with libido my prostate?

What causes the problems with erections?

Yes, a man can live without his prostate. The whole prostate may be removed for cancer or part of it when it is enlarged and causing symptoms.

• Prostate biopsies can affect erectile function, but this tends to improve after 2. What conditions other than cancer 3-6 months can affect the prostate?

• Surgery for cancer can affect the nerves that •are needed for a normal erection. Benign (non-cancerous) enlargement called BPH Nerve-sparing surgery can lower the risk but not everyone can have this type of rostatitis - nerve-sparing infection or inflammation surgery. For example, it is more challenging to• Pperform surgery in of the prostate. men with high-risk prostate cancer. Additionally, the skill of your surgeon can affect 3. Do biological women have a prostate? this outcome. If your nerves are intact, then many men will see an improvement No. over time – this could be months and years later 4. How big can the prostate get?

• Radiotherapy can damage the nerves, but it can tolimit. recover from the Theretake is no longer real upper • A small sized prostate has a volume effect on erections of 30-40ml

• Hormone treatments can lower blood testosterone levels, which can • A medium sized prostate has aaffect volumethe ability to have an erection of 40-80ml • A large sized prostate has a volume greater than 80ml.

FIGHTING PROSTATE CANCER - A SURVIVAL GUIDE

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