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You are here: Cancer information / Diagnosis and treatment / Managing side effects / Body image changes & sexuality

Body Image Changes and Sexuality

Cancer and its treatments can affect a person's body image. Body image is a person's perception of their own body and how they think they look. Feeling uncomfortable with one's body or feeling unattractive can affect a person's sex drive or sex life and also their self esteem.

Management

There are some things that can help when changes in body image affect how a person gives or receives sexual pleasure, especially if they feel uncomfortable with their appearance. It can take time to adjust to body changes.

  • Sometimes it helps to get used to a changed appearance by looking at your body and reminding yourself about your good qualities. Do this in private and when you have enough time. Look at your entire body in a mirror and make yourself look at the part that has been changed by cancer. This can be hard at first, but try to relax and take your time. Try to find at least three good things about your body or appearance. Repeat the exercise as many times as you need to, until you feel comfortable looking at yourself. This exercise can also help you feel more relaxed when being intimate with a partner.
  • Sometimes the person feels more comfortable if they can hide the change.
    • Try making love in underwear, sexy or attractive lingerie or pyjamas or stay partly dressed rather than being completely naked.
    • Change the lighting level when giving and receiving sexual pleasure. Dimming the lights or turning lights off may help a person feel more comfortable during sex.
    • Try facing away from a partner during sex instead of facing them directly.
  • See if wearing a prosthesis (such as a wig or artificial limb) helps. Sometimes an artificial limb helps with positioning and ease of movement during sex. A partner with an amputation may have trouble staying level during sexual intercourse when the prosthesis is not worn.
  • Good hygiene, perfume, cologne and makeup can also help with improving body image. Programs such as Look Good, Feel Better offers tips on makeup, skin care and other appearance-related effects of cancer treatment.

References

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If you are outside Canada

We can give information about cancer care and support services in Canada only. To find a cancer organization in your country, visit Union for International Cancer Control or International Cancer Information Service Group.