When a woman is diagnosed with cervical cancer it can be an uncertain time. Partners of women affected by cervical cancer have told us that having information about what the women in their lives would be going through was very useful. The links below will take you to more information on types of treatment and side effects related to cervical cancer and its treatment.
Click on the links below to read more.

Cervical cancer

You may find the following sections useful to help you understand more about cervical cancer, how it is caused and how it is staged when diagnosed:

• Causes of cervical cancer – human papillomavirus
• Information on staging

Types of Treatment Offered

The following links will provide you with information on the different treatment types that are given to women with cervical cancer. They will help you understand more about the treatment that your partner has been offered:

• LLETZ
• Cone Biopsy
• Trachelectomy
• Hysterectomy
• Chemoradiotherapy
• Pelvic exenteration

Life after diagnosis

Life after cancer can feel different, both for the woman affected, as well as her partner. Your partner may be facing short- as well as long-term side effects of treatment. The following links provide more details on the issues your partner may be facing after treatment has finished:

• Fear of recurrence
• Moving forward from a cancer diagnosis
• Long term side effects
• Early menopause and hormone replacement therapy
• Emotional damage
• Changes to the vagina and impact on sex

You can find general information in our cervical cancer section.

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How you manage this difficult situation depends on your coping style before cervical cancer. If you have always found it awkward to deal with emotions, you are unlikely to develop emotional skills immediately. This can be hard as you are both feeling your way through unfamiliar territory and the turmoil of emotion you may be going through can lead to misunderstandings between you and your partner.

Your partner may need support from other people, she may find it easier to talk about some issues with female relatives or close friends, or she may be trying to reassure you that she is coping [1].

This section covers the following topics:

• Communicating how you are feeling
• Talking about changes to your relationship
• Sex and intimacy
• Loss of fertility
• Getting things back on track

Communicating how you are feeling

Partners with experience of supporting a woman with cervical cancer have told us how helpful mutual support in a relationship can be. Mutual support means that you emotionally support your partner and she supports you. Despite the difficulty of your current situation, you may feel that you want to be the stronger one and take all the burden. If this is how you are feeling, please remember that you can still look to your partner for support when you are feeling low or anxious. By allowing your partner to sometimes feel that they are supporting you, you may help them to feel ok about accepting support from you and others. Being strong and not showing emotion is, therefore, not necessarily helpful. If you are normally a couple who share problems, why would this situation be any different? If you don’t show your emotions, your partner may feel unable to freely show how she is feeling either. If you are someone that does not show their emotions easily, that is ok and you could suggest your partner look to other close family members or friends if she needs support that you cannot give at this time.

Crying reflects the grief people are feeling; it doesn’t cause it. So do let your partner express her feelings in whatever way works for her, just as you should express your feelings in your own way. You will almost certainly feel more connected as a result. Try to avoid second guessing how each of you is feeling. Accept that this is difficult for both of you and that you are negotiating your way through a whole new set of experiences.

Talking about changes to your relationship

You may both wonder if you will ever feel normal again. However, even if you were happy with the way your relationship was, don’t see change as a disaster. All relationships evolve; so, rather than focusing on how different things are, see your ability to adapt as a positive thing. Nothing stays the same and, though you may be aware of what you seem to have lost, be aware of gains as well – couples often actually feel they are sharing more in this situation [2].

However, if you feel less close, try to consider why this is. If it feels as though the cancer is coming between you, try to think of it as a separate entity that you are fighting together, rather than seeing your partner as a cancer patient.

Finding a calm time to talk is better than blurting things out when you are feeling angry, frightened or frustrated. Use “I” statements rather than “you” comments, which tend to sound blaming. For instance, “I am concerned you are overdoing it” is less blaming than “You are doing too much”.

Most of all, don’t make assumptions. Talk about what you both want and need, and accept that this may change from day to day, for both of you.

Sex and intimacy

Your intimate relationship with your partner may have altered significantly since her diagnosis. In our recent sex and relationship survey, 90% of women told us that they had changes in their intimate relationships as a result of cervical cancer. Some felt it had improved, but over half were not satisfied with how things are now. Perhaps you also feel that things have changed and you may not feel happy about this.

Changes in your sex life can be due to a number of reasons, some of which are caused by physical and emotional changes in both your partner and yourself. Both of you may feel anxious about resuming sexual activity and some of this anxiety is a normal part of going through the diagnosis and subsequent treatment for cervical cancer. You may feel worried about hurting your partner or concerned about damaging the area in which she has received treatment. You are not alone in having these concerns and your partner’s medical team should be able to talk to you about these issues.

We have information on sex and intimacy written for women affected by cervical cancer that you may also find helpful. You can read more about the following areas:

• Sex and relationships
• Loss of desire
• Not able to feel aroused
• Sexual pain
• Orgasm less satisfactory/more difficult to achieve.

After treatment some women feel that the area they have had treatment is no longer special or private and this can make it hard to reconnect with their sexual life. Sometimes psychosexual counselling can help to reconnect sexuality after a cancer diagnosis. You can also receive this type of counselling together as a couple.

Some people feel concerned about re-infection with HPV. This is a very difficult subject to talk about, but also to find answers about. All the issues raised in this section are important and it is good to try and talk to, as well as listen to your partner so you both know how you are feeling.

Sex can be a very important part of a relationship and it may take time to bring things back to how they were before a cancer diagnosis – they may always be different, but keeping communication open between you and your partner can help to get things back on track.

There is more information about sex and intimacy after cervical cancer here.

Loss of fertility

Even if you already have children, it can be hard to accept that you no longer have a choice about whether to have more. If you haven’t yet started a family, you may be facing a huge blow to the way you imagined your future would be. You may both need time to grieve in your own ways and to be aware that you may each react differently.

Where the possibility of having children remains uncertain, there may be additional stress and confusion [3]. It is worth keeping yourself well informed and trying not to make judgements. For instance, even treatments like large loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ) or cone biopsy, which can preserve fertility, may still worry your partner because of their small risk of causing premature labour.

Treatment for more advanced cervical cancer, such as a hysterectomy, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, can bring on short- and long-term changes within a woman’s body. For example, going through the menopause may affect her feelings about her sense of femininity or sexuality. Reassure her, but don’t dismiss what she is going through. She may be facing some physical side effects, such as hot flushes, changes in mood and sleep disturbances. This may emphasise the difference she feels from other women of her age who are not yet experiencing menopausal symptoms. However, information and planning before treatment can help to minimise symptoms and improve emotional adjustment [4]. Be careful not to assume you know what is best for her. Be ready to listen when she is ready and avoid jumping in with solutions; she may just want to feel heard.

Getting things back on track

Don’t expect things to go back to exactly the way they were. Many of the everyday rules you may have had can be thrown away. Having cancer is the permission some people need to make the most of every day without always having to worry about the future or be productive. It’s not uncommon for people affected by cancer to look back at their journey with cancer and feel that they have both gained positive and negative experiences as a result of their diagnosis and treatment.

Consequently, don’t feel you can’t laugh and enjoy your life together. Ensure you talk about things other than cancer and treatment. Make some plans; whether it is for a holiday or just a quiet night in together, planning can give you a sense of togetherness and healthy anticipation.

Most of all, be flexible and don’t be thrown off course if you have to be adaptable. Although you may be looking for the reassurance of certainty, be aware of the resources you have that allow you to deal with issues as they arise. It is these same skills that will also allow you to make the most of any opportunities for relaxation and fun.

It is very easy as a partner to become isolated. Other people don’t always know what to say to you. Their approach may seem nosy and intrusive, or they may wait for you to talk as they are so concerned about intruding. It is very hard for them to find a middle ground, so most people will appreciate you being clear about what works for you.

It may be that you don’t want to talk, but rather just to be with people who aren’t involved from time to time. Partners tell us that taking time out for themselves really helped them. It is, therefore, vital that you don’t lose contact with friends. If you used to have time apart to pursue your own interests, it is vital to keep these up. Or now may be the time to start, so that you get a break that refreshes you and helps you to be more available to your partner in the long run.

Indeed, make sure you take care of yourself – eat properly and get enough sleep. Take people up on offers of help. Friends and family often feel as helpless as you do and are only too delighted if there is something practical they can do to help.

Your partner may have appreciated you acting as a buffer between herself and the world and partners tell us this role can help you to feel useful and wanted. It can also be an incredible burden, particularly if she wants you to filter details about her condition. This may mean you feel you can’t offload for fear of revealing details she does not want others to know. However, if you believe you don’t have the right to show emotion or have a little moan occasionally, this may lead you to bottle things up and make you more vulnerable to irritability, stress and illness. The more supported you are, the more support you will be able to offer your partner.

If there really seems to be no one you can discuss things with amongst your family and friends, cancer nurse specialists can be really helpful in offering informed advice and listening.

You can also talk to other partners using our online forum. We have a private forum section that is only open to partners. You can access this on our website at this address: https://hpvglobalaction.org/forum

Don’t forget your GP, who may have counseling available at the surgery or be able to suggest local support groups or resources. There are many types of counseling and you can choose to attend with your partner (couples counseling) or on your own.

Counseling provides a safe environment where you can talk through what you are thinking or feeling and, if you want to, look at working on some of the issues you are finding difficult.