Thankfully however, due to sophisticated treatment and therapy techniques, more women than ever are beating breast cancer.
These survivors number at nearly 2.4 million in the US alone, and according to a 2010 study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, a majority of them will then cope with the less-discussed consequences of diagnosis; disrupted sexual functions.
The study found that 7 in 10 breast cancer survivors experience sexual issues, compared to 40 to 45 percent of women unaffected by breast cancer reporting the same – quite a wide margin.
This is in no small part due to the same techniques and methods that help survivors beat their diagnosis in the first place; because some breast cancer cells require estrogen to grow, women in treatment are given estrogen inhibitors that greatly impact sexual functions, and sometimes result in early onset menopause.
Even without the occurrence of menopause, the effects on sexual response, such as vaginal dryness, loss of libido and difficulty achieving orgasm can last for as long as 2 years after treatment is complete.
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