Providence Cancer Institute Franz Sexual Health Services
At Providence, our goal is to treat the whole person during and after cancer treatment. Our sexual health experts care for people who have been diagnosed with breast, head and neck, gastrointestinal, blood or gynecologic cancers and have experienced changes to their sexual health due to cancer treatment or risk-reduction surgery.
Providence Cancer Institute Franz Sexual Health Services
At Providence, our goal is to treat the whole person during and after cancer treatment. Our sexual health experts care for people who have been diagnosed with breast, head and neck, gastrointestinal, blood or gynecologic cancers and have experienced changes to their sexual health due to cancer treatment or risk-reduction surgery.
Meet the Team
At Providence, you'll have access to a vast network of dedicated and compassionate providers who offer personalized care by focusing on treatment, prevention and health education.
Cancer treatment, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery, may cause physical or emotional changes to your sexual health. We specifically offer support to females who have undergone treatment for breast, head and neck, gastrointestinal, blood or gynecologic cancers. We also support individuals who have undergone preventative surgery to reduce their risk of developing cancer. This includes surgeries such as mastectomy, salpingo-oophorectomy, hysterectomy, and others.
Sexual health side effects from these treatments may include:
- Vaginal pain
- Pelvic pain
- Decreased interest in sex
- Decreased pleasure with sex
- Pain with sex
- Changes in body image
- Premature menopause
- Genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM)
- Alopecia which may lead to body image concerns
- Anxiety around sexual health
- Pelvic floor problems
- Weight changes which may lead to body image concerns
- Treatment related bowel changes, hot flushes, sleep disruption
There are a variety of treatments that our experts might recommend. These may include:
- Education about your body, vaginal health, and intimacy
- Suggestions to enhance communication with your partner
- Information about non-hormonal vaginal lubricants and moisturizers
- Hormone replacement therapy creams, gels or pills
- Treatments to address pain, including vaginal dilator therapy
- Referral to other specialists, including physical therapists and sex therapists
Experts at our sexual health services will provide compassionate and confidential care to help navigate changes to your sexual health. Your visit will be with our oncology nurse practitioner, Nora Lersch, D.N.P., AOCNP. Before your first appointment, we’ll send you a detailed questionnaire to complete and bring with you to the appointment.
Your first appointment will take one hour. During this visit, we will review your medical history and do a focused exam. We will then discuss your concerns and work with you to create a personalized treatment plan.
You may have a shorter follow-up appointment to discuss improvements or any necessary changes to your treatment plan.
- Life After Cancer Treatment
- North American Menopause Society
- American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists
- Womanlab.org - platform where every woman and everyone who loves and cares for women can learn truths about sex
- I Asked My Doctor About Low Libido During Breast-Cancer Treatment by Dr. Kelly Michelson, MD, MPH on womensnews.org
- Life After Cancer Treatment: Body Changes and Intimacy (National Cancer Institute)
- Sex and Woman with Cancer (American Cancer Society)
- Changes in Intimate and Sexual Relationships after Cancer (Patient Power)
- Sex, Relationships, and Cancer (Macmillan Cancer Support)
Part of Providence Cancer Institute of Oregon
Providence Cancer Institute is a leading provider of cancer care in Oregon, and part of the largest community-based cancer-care network in the United States. Regardless of where you go for care, you have an entire team of cancer experts working together to provide a personalized, whole-person approach to your care. At Providence we see more than a cancer diagnosis, we see the life in you and are committed to helping you live well again.