Let's talk about it
Print this sign to hang in your office and clearly let your patients know you’re there to listen, and ready to talk.
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Sexual Health Toolkit
Connecting healthcare providers with resources about breast cancer and sexual health, questions, and concerns
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Sexual side effects are a common and often distressing issue for people during and after breast cancer treatment.
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However, sexual health concerns are often unaddressed in the clinical setting.1 Most people with cancer want their healthcare team to address sexual health,2 but under 20% of providers have been found to regularly discuss this issue with their patients.3
LBBC is committed to helping people navigate the complex ways in which breast cancer impacts their lives and to providing healthcare providers with education and resources. On this page you will find a collection of resources to help you discuss sexual health with your patients and address some of their most common questions and concerns. You’ll also find resources to share with your patients and links to external organizations and articles.
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Get the sign
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Resources for healthcare providers
đź“Ą Start the conversation: Discussing sexual health with breast cancer patients
Despite the impact that breast cancer treatment can have on sexual health, most young women report that they never discussed the topic during their care. This downloadable tip sheet provides straightforward recommendations you can share with your patients to help them find relief for a problem that can feel hopeless.
Time to read: 1 minute
Download now
🎥 Let’s talk about sex and menopause: Addressing psychosocial concerns in breast cancer survivorship
Conversations about sexual health, body image, and early menopause are often left out of routine breast cancer care. This CME, nursing, and social work CE-accredited webinar series offers practical tools to help healthcare providers navigate these topics with clarity and compassion. Learn how to apply culturally responsive communication strategies and address the unique needs of diverse patients across the survivorship continuum.
Length: Each webinar is 1 hour
Watch now
🎥 Young women’s stories & tips for providers: Sexual health and breast cancer
In this video, women from our series on sexual health effects share what they wish they heard from healthcare providers to help them prepare for and deal with these issues.
Length: Under 5 minutes
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Resources for your patients
Take a look at these resources and select those that would be most helpful to your patients. Share links to articles, downloadables, videos, and blogs about sexual health.
Sexual side effects of breast cancer
Our page for patients covers the various ways breast cancer treatment can affect sexual health, along with practical information on finding help and support for women who are dealing with these effects.
Time to read: 7 minutes
LGBTQ+: Body image, sexuality, and family planning
Information tailored for LGBTQ+ people on the challenges of dealing with sexual health effects and related issues including body image and fertility.
Time to read: 8 minutes
Menopausal symptoms
Some breast cancer treatments can cause changes in estrogen levels that lead to menstrual cycles becoming irregular, pausing, or stopping. Even if you went through menopause naturally before treatment, treatment can bring new symptoms. Learn more about how to manage symptoms, including those that impact sexual health.
Time to read: 10 minutes
Sensation after mastectomy
For many people, sensation loss after mastectomy is a side effect no one warned them about, deeply affecting quality of life. In this article, three breast cancer thrivers share their personal journeys through loss, healing, and the hope of nerve reconstruction. Learn how new surgical options have helped these thrivers restore touch, intimacy, and confidence.
Time to read: 8 minutes
Sex, intimacy, and breast cancer video series (below)
Length: Each video is approximately 5 minutes or less
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Sex, intimacy, and breast cancer: Anna's story
A breast cancer diagnosis can affect your sexuality in many ways. In this video series, young women offer candid insights about dating, body image, libido, intimate relationships, communication with health care providers, remedies, and more. This is Anna’s story.
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Downloadables
View moreExternal resources
- American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists
- American Sexual Health Association
- National Coalition for Sexual Health
- The Cancer Network
- University of Michigan online sexual health certificate program
- From diagnosis to survivorship addressing the sexuality of women during cancer
- Enhancing sexual health for cancer survivors
- Interventions to Address Sexual Problems in People With Cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Adaptation of Cancer Care Ontario Guideline
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Form
Fill out our form if you would like to download the sexual health sign and/or provide feedback on the Toolkit. Click one or both of the boxes below, then the fields for you to complete will be visible. Once you click submit, it will take a few seconds to process.
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This project is supported by the Grant or Cooperative Agreement Number 1 NU58DP006672, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services.
3 Tier Sponsors
Thank you
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1 Katz A, Agrawal, LS, Sirohi, BS. Sexuality after cancer as an unmet need: Addressing disparities, achieving equality. American Society of Clinical Oncology Education Book. 2022;42:11-17. DOI: 10.1200/EDBK_100032.
2 Arring, N, Barton, DL, Reese, JB. Clinical practice strategies to address sexual health in female cancer survivors. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2023;41(31): 4927-4936. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.23.00523.
3 Dubin J, Patel S, Seldon CS, Yechieli R, Ramasamy, R, Kava B. Survey of oncology providers’ attitudes and practices in evaluating sexual health in cancer care. International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics. 2021;111(3):e158-e159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrobp.2021.07.627.
About this page
About LBBC
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Living Beyond Breast Cancer is a national nonprofit organization that seeks to create a world that understands there is more than one way to have breast cancer. To fulfill its mission of providing trusted information and a community of support to those impacted by the disease, Living Beyond Breast Cancer offers on-demand emotional, practical, and evidence-based content. For over 30 years, the organization has remained committed to creating a culture of acceptance — where sharing the diversity of the lived experience of breast cancer fosters self-advocacy and hope. For more information, learn more about our programs and services.