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When cancer enters daily life, everything changes. Health, the relationship with loved ones… but also intimate life. To relieve young people affected by this reality, the Oscar-Lambret cancer center is broadcasting a web series devoted to the sexual life of young people with cancer.
Is cancer contagious? Can we make love during the treatments? Is it possible to have children? So many questions that often remain unanswered. In this context, the Center Oscar Lambret produced, with the help of the theater company “La Belle Histoire”, a web series of seven episodes, entitled “Sans Tabou”.
Sexuality and cancer: breaking the taboo
Initiated in 2017 by Cyril Lervat, oncopediatrician, and Fayza Ait-Kaci, psychologist in the center’s pediatric department, the “Sans Tabou” project aims to free the voices of young adults (17-25 years old) with lymphoma. , ovarian sarcoma, testicular or breast cancer.
“For young adults, for whom the sexual life begins, the questions following the announcement of the diagnosis can be numerous, but few are those who dare to speak about it to the caregivers, or even to those around them”underlines Stéphane Van de Rosieren, artistic director of the company La Belle Histoire and founder of the Clowns of Hope.
By staging stories that young patients may encounter on a daily basis, the clinic at the Lille hospital center therefore wishes to approach, with modesty and kindness, the sensitive subject of sexuality.
The first episode was uploaded to Oscar-Lambret’s YouTube channel. The other six episodes should follow this fall.
The goal? Make health professionals want to take ownership of this educational tool to answer the questions of young patients. A “question box” will also be available online and will allow the discussion to continue.
Interesting point: these “awareness workshops” can take place outside the hospital setting.
At Oscar-Lambret, about 300 young people are followed for cancer and in France, about 1,900 new cases are diagnosed each year.
Consult an oncologist online
What is the impact of cancer on intimate life?
Cancer and its treatments can disrupt sexuality in the more or less long term. The psychological shock caused by the announcement of the disease is particularly likely to alter the desire of the sick person and his partner. Other disorders may also occur:
- fatigue ;
- nausea;
- vomiting;
- ejaculation disorders;
- painful intercourse;
- low self-esteem;
- fungal infections;
- early menopause;
- irregular or absent menstrual cycles;
- vaginal atrophy;
- decline in fertility.
These various disorders are frequent but most often temporary. In case of questions and / or difficulty, an appointment with your doctor is recommended.