Permission to speak: Giving older adults a voice in teaching health professionals how to communicate
I found this in my emails and I thought there are a few of us over 60 on here .... https://unesurveys.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8ADkd4AQZFYCj7n Are you over 60 ? then this might interest you... Permission to speak: Giving older adults a voice in teaching health professionals how to communicate about intimate matters Our sexuality changes as we age - but we know that many people in their 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond wish to remain sexually active. We also know that health conditions and medications can affect sexuality and cause sexual problems. But it can be hard to find reliable, accurate information - especially if it's hard to talk to your health professional! Alison Rahn - who spoke recently at the COTA NSW 50 Shades of Greying forum - is the lead researcher in a new study funded by the Australian Association of Gerontology. The outcome of this research will be training materials for health professionals to improve their communications skills with older people around sex and sexuality. Alison is looking for people to participate in an anonymous online survey, which will take between 20 and 30 minutes to answer. Your participation will be completely anonymous. You don't need to provide your name or any identifying details. You don't have to participate - but your anonymous participation will help to make sure that health professionals have the skills and tools to have good discussions with older people about sex and sexuality - which is a win for everyone.Q& A session was Good
HI everyone we had a good Q&A tonight in the "Let's talk about vaginas" group tonight.. why not head over there and read it as completed post if you missed it tonight, as I know for some in WA etc it was just not a good time for you to be able to be part of it as it happened but all the questions and answers are there for any member to go in and read. If you do have questions from it please make a new post and tag me in it so I can get you some answers.... Soldiercrab and PrimeK
Everything is shrinking!
I haven't been here for a while and thought this would be a good place for advice. Its 4 years since diagnosed with BC and 2.5 years post treatment. I have been so focused on my general health, resuming work and looking after sick elderly parents that I have neglected my sexual health. Basically everything is shrinking (except for my waistline). 56 and post menopause, sex is very painful. I've been using Yes moisturiser and lubricant and not able to use any hormone treatments. My question is does anyone have experience using vaginal dilator therapy and physio? I think I'll need to see a gynaecologist at some point after the holiday period. Thanks in advance. CB
The impact of breast cancer on intimacy
Note from BCNA: The following is a guest post in a series we're bringing you this year. Jane Fletcher is a health psychologist with over 15 years’ experience working with individuals with breast cancer. She runs a specialist psycho-oncology private practice at Cabrini Health and Epworth Freemasons. Jane holds adjunct appointments with the Szalmuk Family Psycho-oncology Research Unit based at Cabrini Health and with Monash University. Jane continues to offer evidence based intervention to individuals, couples and families at all stages of the cancer experience.. She has extensive experience using cognitive-behavioural therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, a range of existential approaches and mindfulness based interventions. She is qualified in medical hypnosis and uses this for the treatment of cancer related sleep disorder, phobic and conditioned responses. She has a special interest in sexuality and is experienced in a range of specific interventions for the psycho-sexual issues associated with a cancer diagnosis. Special interests include breast, gynaecological, prostate, bowel, lung and haematological cancers. She also works with those who have tested gene positive for cancer who may require prophylactic surgical intervention. Jane speaks widely, both locally and internationally, to peers and those living with a cancer diagnosis and hold adjunct appointments with Monash University and the Szalmuk Family Psycho-oncology Unit. Some of you may know Jane from BCNA's information forums. The Impact of breast cancer on intimacy A diagnosis of breast cancer affects all member of the family unit and can have a huge impact an individuals intimate relationship. So what is intimacy? We use the word intimacy often without defining exactly what we are talking about. Intimacy is not just sexual intercourse, it includes emotional and/or physical closeness. So why can intimacy be an issue post breast cancer? A diagnosis of breast cancer is a traumatic event and this trauma can impact on an individuals desire for intimacy. Surgery can have a significant effect on the way an individual feels about themselves. Scaring and changes in the way the body looks impact self-esteem. Body image can also be affected by the many side effects of treatment including weight gain and hair loss. These can impact on how attractive you feel and often result in a reduced desire for intimacy. In addition, the treatments used in breast cancer can effect the sex hormones produced and this may have an impact on a range of aspects of the sexual experience. Libido, or the desire for a sexual experience, may be affected and the reduction in desire for sex may cause tension and confusion in the relationship, especially if the other partner’s desire for sex is higher. This ‘libido mismatch may already exist in some relationships and this situation can often be worsened by the treatments for breast cancer. The reduction in desire for sex can also be confusing for the other person in the relationship. People often feel rejected and blame themselves, thinking that they are no longer attractive or loved. Just thinking for a moment about your own experience, how often have you either raised issues related to intimacy with your health professionals or been asked if there are any issues? Many people report not raising issues as they were not asked if there was an issue. This ‘cone of silence’ just increases the poor communication that exists in this area. So what can you do to help the situation? The most effective intervention for any issues related to intimacy involves open and honest communication. The avoidance of assumptions and the willingness to do things differently will help build closeness and further deepen a relationship. Emotional intimacy involves the expression of emotion in a way that lets the other person know how you are feeling. It does not mean being able to know what the person is thinking or feeling but being able to ask questions and listen in a non-judgmental way. A relationship that is based on good communication will have a level of emotional intimacy that will assist in managing the impact of breast and its treatments on physical intimacy. Physical intimacy is more than sexual intercourse or sexual behaviour. It involves touch and that is essential in the release of one of our pleasure hormones, oxytocin. Touch can be a hug between friends or it can have a more sensual aspect. Touch is an important part our sexual/sensual toolkit. By talking to your partner you are able to expand the sexual/sensual toolkit and discover new things that other person may like and this may be additive to a relationship. Touch is also an important part of sexual excitement or arousal. Sexual arousal is still possible even if your desire for physical intimacy is low. The arousal response may just take more time. When a woman becomes aroused or turned on, there is an increased blood flow to the walls of the vagina, which caused fluid to pass through the walls and is the main source of lubrication. This lubrication is what makes the vagina wet. The production of lubrication can be reduced by the treatments for breast cancer. Vaginal dryness is a significant issue for many women post breast cancer. If the vagina is dry and we try to have sex, it is going to be painful and pain on sexual intercourse may cause an avoidance response. The use of a good quality lubricant is essential. BCNA’s booklet Breast cancer and sexual wellbeing has a section comparing some of the lubricants available. Your breast care nurse will also be able to assist and will be able to advise where you can buy lubricants locally and you can always shop online. If you find that lubrication does not help then please talk to a member of your health care team. What to do if you need help? Sometimes we need guidance to be able to discuss these issues. There are great resources available and a good starting point is BCNA’s booklet Breast cancer and sexual wellbeing. Your breast care nurse is a fantastic resource and if they cannot help they will be able to refer you to a suitably trained health professional. BCNA also have a telephone counseling service available for individuals with metastatic disease and the health professionals involved are skilled in discussing issues relating to intimacy. It can be embarrassing raising issues relating to sexual intimacy but if you raise an issue with a member of your health care team then you are closer to finding some strategies to improve the situation.
The Lost Libido Ladies
Hi everyone. If you're one of the many women who have lost their libido and are finding sex painful after cancer treatment, please do join us at the Lost Libido Ladies. Our private group had nearly 100 members but was unfortunately removed when the new website was set up. The group has been reinstated, but we can't access our old members. So please apply to join, and we'll get things moving again. Apparently some of our discussions are on other parts of the website, so we'll try to find them and see if we can add links or copy them across. I was going to do a broadcast post regarding an update on the Mona Lisa Touch for women in Melbourne, the successful outcome of using Yes Vaginal Moisturiser (new product) and finally getting DHEA pessaries from a compounding chemist in Melbourne, but I'll wait until we have got some of our old members back into the group. Hope to see you in the group soon, either as an old member or a new one. Best wishes, DaisyMarigold.
Breast Cancer and Sexual Wellbeing - BCNA's new resource
I'm so pleased to let you know that BCNA has developed a new information booklet for women with breast cancer called Breast Cancer and Sexual Wellbeing. We started to look in more detail at the impact of breast cancer on women's sexual wellbeing, after women had been contacting us, surprised and distressed at this unexpected consequence. We wanted to better understand how many women were experiencing problems, and the type of issues they were experiencing. So we commissioned Professor Jane Ussher from the University of Western Sydney to conduct research for us. Professor Ussher and her team did a fantastic job, with over 2,200 women (many who were from BCNA's Review and Survey Group) and more than 150 health professionals responding to the survey - an amazing number, which in itself told us that this was such an important issue! Women talked about how their breast cancer had impacted on their sense of self and their confidence, the emotional impact on their relationship, and the challenges they faced if they were looking to start a new relationship. Women also talked about physical side effects of breast cancer such as menopause, and how this impacted on their ability to be intimate with a partner. Health professionals told us about the difficulties they sometimes experience in knowing how to talk to women about sexual wellbeing, and the need for more information to be available. We realised pretty quickly that what was needed was comprehensive information for both women and health professionals. So we developed the booklet. I really hope you find it useful, respectful and relevant to your experience. This is such a personal issue, but is often so important to our wellbeing and quality of life. If you've had a chance to read our new booklet, please do let us know what you think about it. We've been promoting the booklet far and wide, including a moving article in the Pink magazine called The Last Taboo, in which BCNA Community Liaisions Kirsty Muir, Bronwyn Wells and Suzanne Mullen share their stories. Limited numbers of the October issue of the Australian Women's Weekly carry the Pink magazine, so keep your eyes out in your local newsagent or supermarket. You can order or download a copy of the booklet from our website here: http://www.bcna.org.au/living-breast-cancer/sexual-wellbeing
